Blog - The Week In Review

This week seems like it was devoted to teeing up health care and next week is when the House will take a swing at it. Strained sports metaphors aside, it has been a very eventful week and next week looks like it will be even more significant with the House possibly voting on health care. Catch up on the week that was by checking out what we’ve been up to here at OpenCongress.

• Republicans have made such a big deal out of reconciliation but the House’s vote (tentatively expected next weekend) is where the real action will be.
• A New York Republican wants Congress to go paperless and save countless tress in the process.
• Another Democrat joins the filibuster reform effort.
• Sen. John McCain [D, AZ] backs away from his own bill regulating vitamin supplement manufacturers.
• Democrats are considering passing an overhaul of the student loan system alongside health care in the Senate.
• Speaking of health care, House Democrats are considering a process that would allow them to pass the Senate health care bill without technically voting for it.
• House Democrats announced an end to earmarks for for-profit companies, but Donny persuasively argues that this will not stop federal dollars from going to corporations.
• FedEx is causing trouble for an airport funding bill that would also allow its employees to more easily unionize.
• The House voted to cancel Haiti’s debt and limit the use of deceptive Census mailings.
• Republicans claimed that the Senate parliamentarian ruled against a democratic plan to change the Senate health care bill before it becomes law. Democrats, however, pointed out that the GOP misinterpreted the parliamentarian.
• Immigration has returned as a hot-button issue just in time to further complicate health care.

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