No One Can Find 'Secret' ObamaCare Repeal and Replace Bill

Republicans are trying to keep it from leaking
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 3, 2017 2:02 AM CST
Updated Mar 3, 2017 6:31 AM CST
No One Can Find 'Secret' ObamaCare Repeal and Replace Bill
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., right, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, return to their offices on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

As of Thursday, a new version of House Republicans' ObamaCare repeal and replace bill is available for review by members and staffers on the House Energy and Commerce panel, but they'll have to do a bit of work to see it: There's just one copy, kept in a dedicated reading room, and no other copies are being given to lawmakers to take with them, Bloomberg reports. The new draft "is being treated a bit like a top-secret surveillance intercept," the site notes, after an outdated draft was leaked last week and quickly derided—Republicans are looking to avoid the same thing happening again. But they might be doing too good a job, as lawmakers are struggling to locate the shrouded-in-secrecy draft:

  • Rep. Frank Pallone, the top-ranking Democrat on the above-mentioned panel, has been on a quest to find the copy of the latest draft so he can read it. So far, he's had no luck, even when he went by the room it's supposed to be kept in. NPR follows his search.
  • Sen. Rand Paul went on his own search for the bill Thursday, tweeting about his progress and bringing along a copy machine in case he found it. More on his quest, and a look at some of the Democrats poking fun at the "Where's the bill" fiasco, at the Washington Post.
  • It didn't help that the rumored location of the secret bill got leaked, leading reporters to join in the hunt. A ton of people showed up at the room, but none of them located the bill. Vox has more.
  • The House Energy and Commerce committee is tentatively scheduled to vote on the secretive bill next week, reports the New York Times, which has criticism from Democrats claiming Republicans are "playing hide-and-seek" with the bill.
(More ObamaCare stories.)

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