The House is under "martial law" again, an effort by Speaker Paul Ryan and team to fast-track Zombie Trumpcare to the floor this week. Without any new hearings on the MacArthur amendment that guts pre-existing condition protections. Without a Congressional Budget Office score. Using a procedure that is normally only used for emergencies, things like avoiding an imminent government shutdown.
The procedure approved in a largely party-line vote on Tuesday waives a rule requiring the House to wait at least one day before taking up a measure produced out of the House Rules Committee, which determines how legislation is considered on the floor.
Does that sound familiar? It should.
GOP leaders invoked martial law back in March when they wanted to push forward with a vote coinciding around the anniversary of when ObamaCare was signed into law in 2010. They ultimately canceled a vote when it became clear it didn’t have the votes to pass.
Leadership, and the White House, have been mercilessly whipping members to try to get the votes for this. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy suggests that those beatings will continue over the weekend if they have to, to get this done. Congress is scheduled to take next week off, and nobody wants their well-deserved rest to be shortened. After all, they might be in session four whole days this week, and they have to do that on just the two weeks of rest they returned from Tuesday. That'll be popular.
Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121. Tell your member of Congress in no uncertain terms that you OPPOSE any efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.