The House Budget Committee has advanced a budget reconciliation bill. The bill provides the framework to modify the Senate version of health care reform. The Rules Committee gets to tweak it later this week.
On Monday, the ranking Republican on that committee, Rep. David Dreier, told reporters "there is absolutely no accountability in this process."
Right now the focus is on "Inside-the-Beltway" baseball. The so called "Slaughter-Solution" that's named for Rep. Louise Slaughter and being considered by Democrats would allow the Senate bill to be considered passed if the House adopts the rule for debate on the budget reconcilitation bill.
It's process, not substance, that lawmakers are focusing on this week. Some times that spells trouble when lawmakers are trying to keep the public engaged. But Rep. Dreier says he thinks the public gets it and that voters are angry with Democrats for resorting to deception to advance their agenda.
In the House Budget Committee, Democrats voted down each and every attempt by Republicans to offer amendments, including efforts to add the so called Stupak Amendment to the Senate bill. That's an amendment that the House overwhelmingly passed last year.
The Stupak Amendment bans tax dollars from being used to pay for abortions. Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak says he'll vote against the bill without the pro-life language, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she'll have the 216 votes she needs when she brings the bill to the floor. That could be as soon as Sunday.
Watch Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt arguing for the Stupak Amendment in the House Budget Committee Monday night.