Health Care Bill: Behind-the-scenes on Capitol Hill

The health care debate is as tense as any I've seen. I came to work at 7:00 am today to see if anything had happened overnight. There have been lots of arms twisted. One Democrat friend who sits on the Rules Committee told me they've been instructed not to allow a vote on one single Republican amendment. Let me repeat. He didn't say they were instructed not to vote for any Republican amendment. He said they aren't even going to allow one to come to the floor for a vote!! Yet this is the largest, most comprehensive government intrusion into the private sector and individual liberties since 1913, when we created the income tax!

At 9:00 am, we had a meeting in the Republican Whip's office. Our troops remain unified and have been joined by many Democrats who don't like the back room deals, the big government reach and worry about the overall impact of the bill.

At 9:30 am and 11:30 am, I held telephone town hall meetings with about 10,000 people from south Georgia. We called thousands of households based on a computerized random selection. That way we had people on all sides of the spectrum. I regret that I couldn't get to all the questions because we were interrupted by a floor vote. (It wasn't on health care, but on a Department of Interior issue). I heard from people who support the bill and those in opposition, a courtesy not allowed on the House floor!

At 1:00 pm, I spoke at the TEA Party rally on the Capitol lawn. At least 20,000 grassroots activists have come to Washington today to protest the high-handed manner in which the process has been perverted. Their energy level and enthusiasm is incredible. If not for their push back, this bill would have passed in August last year! Unlike so many pro ObamaCare groups, such as the Federal Employee Union, the TEA Party people pay for their own expenses out of their own savings. My hat is off to them. My office remains open and phone lines are manned for them and anyone else who wants to be heard.

At 2:00 pm we had a Republican Conference meeting strategizing and discussing the bill. As you know this bill was posted online only about 24 hours ago. Therefore, we're seeing it for the first along with the American public. As our various House Committees read through the bill, we are appalled by some of the things we are seeing for the first time.

For example we just found out if you are a Veteran with TRICARE coverage your policy might not “qualify” under the bill. By "qualify", I mean meet the minimum standards for health insurance which will be set by the new government oversight bureau. The Senate bill and now the subsequent reconciliation do not clarify that TRICARE coverage is sufficient, leaving it up to a Department of Treasury bureaucrat to decide whether or not our veterans' health care qualifies or if they will have to purchase additional insurance..

The bill also includes a new unprecedented 3.8 percent tax on the “unearned income” of people who have adjusted gross income above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for married couples. Unearned income includes interest, dividends, passive business income and capital gains.

At 3:00, because of Democrat Member defection and push back, the Speaker has had to abandon the “Slaughter House Rule”. This was the tricky parliamentary scheme that would have “deemed” the Senate version of the healthcare bill as passed by the House- without a House vote! Apparently the grassroots activism has made a difference!

At 3:30, the House has had its last votes for the day. We are now back in our offices and the Tea Party community are dispersed and knocking on the doors of undecided Members.

Meanwhile, the President has made his way to the Capitol to make yet another sales pitch to Members of Congress. He has been holding this meeting for almost two hours, which is really unusual- these pep rallies usually last around 15 minutes. The President has also made 64 individual appeals to Democrat Members this week alone. No telling how many back room deals have been cut that we don’t even know about!

At the time of this writing, I’m going back outside to talk to Georgians who have travelled throughout the night to be here. Tomorrow we reconvene- please keep praying!

Congressman Jack Kingston is the Republican representative for Georgia's First District.