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GOP HALTS VOTE AS MEDICARE PLAN GOES DOWN TO DEFEAT
Saturday November 22, 2003FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 22, 2003
Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431
WASHINGTON, DC - Democratic Floor Whip Diana DeGette (D-CO) released the following statement after the House Republican Leadership flaunted all pretense of democratic rule and held open the final vote on their Medicare prescription drug bill for three hours early Saturday morning so it could narrowly pass 220-215:
"After the abuse of power by the Republican leadership in the wee hours of this morning no one can deny that we are headed toward a crisis in the Congress. When President Bush and the Republican leadership saw that their Medicare plan was defeated, they chose to ignore the fundamentals of democracy and impose their will on the majority of the House.
Holding a vote open for three hours is not only an ignoble record in the history of this body, it is nothing less than vote rigging.
I only hope that seniors in our state and across the nation remember how the Republican Party abused power and tyrannically imposed their will on the people's elected representatives. Following the principles of democracy, this horrid Medicare plan should be dead. Of course, Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader DeLay did not follow those principles this morning."
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November 22, 2003
Contact: Josh Freed
(202) 225-4431
WASHINGTON, DC - Democratic Floor Whip Diana DeGette (D-CO) released the following statement after the House Republican Leadership flaunted all pretense of democratic rule and held open the final vote on their Medicare prescription drug bill for three hours early Saturday morning so it could narrowly pass 220-215:
"After the abuse of power by the Republican leadership in the wee hours of this morning no one can deny that we are headed toward a crisis in the Congress. When President Bush and the Republican leadership saw that their Medicare plan was defeated, they chose to ignore the fundamentals of democracy and impose their will on the majority of the House.
Holding a vote open for three hours is not only an ignoble record in the history of this body, it is nothing less than vote rigging.
I only hope that seniors in our state and across the nation remember how the Republican Party abused power and tyrannically imposed their will on the people's elected representatives. Following the principles of democracy, this horrid Medicare plan should be dead. Of course, Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader DeLay did not follow those principles this morning."
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