Conservative Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul announced Friday his staff and his copy machine, which now has its own Twitter handle, continued their search for the draft of the House Obamacare repeal bill.
The quest to find the “secret bill hidden in a secret location” kicked off Thursday, when Paul trekked over to the House side of the Capitol to find the incomplete measure and make it public. The move sparked a scavenger hunt among House Democrats who decided to continue Paul’s efforts to track down the legislation and post the quest on social media.
Paul accused House members of lacking transparency while constructing the bill, alleging they are crafting the bill in the same way Democrats put together the Affordable
Care Act. Paul said the media has been able to obtain leaked versions of the bill while members have not had access.
Today my staff and @randpaulcopier continued the search for the secret House Leadership Obamacare Lite bill pic.twitter.com/G32duw04Pl
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 3, 2017
His staff took pictures of the copy machine he planned to use to distribute the draft in front of different areas of the Capitol and posted them on social media. He has been highly critical of the initial leaked copy of the bill, which was obtained by Politico in February, for its language on tax credits.
This is harder than it should be. But wait. I think someone left us a hint! pic.twitter.com/dxx27kjxPM
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 3, 2017
Members on the House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Energy and Commerce noted they are still going through the process of crafting the bill, which will be made available shortly. GOP lawmakers on Ways and Means are set to stay through the weekend to continue to hash out the details.
“Energy and Commerce Committee members are still working on their portions of the bill this the reason why it’s not ready for prime time. This is routine,” A GOP aide told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “The committee has held hearings and is working through the nitty gritty internally before noticing markup. As committees do. It’s confusing why this wouldn’t be expected. The timeline has always been March/before the Easter recess. We’re right on schedule.”
The bill is expected to marked up in committees next week.
“Senator Paul is determined to get a copy of the bill and share it with the American people. We are hoping @RandPaulCopier can make enough copies for all those interested in reviewing Obamacare Lite.” Paul’s Communications Director Sergio Gor told TheDCNF in a statement.
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