Politics

Democrats defeat GOP attempt to bar them from using ‘Slaughter solution’

Jon Ward Contributor
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Democrats voted down an attempt Thursday by Republicans to bar them from using a “deem and pass” strategy, dubbed the “Slaughter Solution,” which would allow the House to pass the Senate health care bill without directly voting on it.

The Republican attempt to bring a resolution to the floor was defeated by a vote of 222-to-203, with 28 Democrats joining Republicans in the unsuccessful effort to force Democrats to use an up-or-down vote to pass a health care bill.

Republicans brought the measure to the floor mostly to score political points, but the showmanship extended to both sides, with Democratic lawmakers blasting the “Slaughter solution” to reporters and then voting against the GOP measure that would have gotten rid of it.

Rep. Stephen Lynch, Massachusetts Democrat, called the “Slaughter solution” an attempt to “obfuscate” but then voted against bringing the measure banning it to the floor.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, South Dakota Democrat, did vote against the measure to get rid of the GOP resolution.

“While deeming, like reconciliation, has been used by Republicans and Democrats in the past, the context in which it would be used in this case leads me to conclude that it would poison an already terribly partisan atmosphere and leave the Congress even less able to find bipartisan solutions to fiscal problems that are on the verge of becoming overwhelming,” Herseth Sandlin said, according to The Hill.

The measure would have been offered by Rep. Parker Griffith, the Alabama Republican who switched parties in December.