by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 5, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Congressional Democrats are facing a backlash after news broke yesterday that they intend to move forward with plans to ditch a formal conference committee. Today, CSPAN, the cable network that covers Congress, urged Democrats to open the process to public scrutiny.
The conference committee process is important because it will determine the wording of the final bill the House and Senate will consider and whether or not it will force taxpayers to fund hundreds of thousands of abortions.
As LifeNews.com reported, House and Senate Democrats are expected to use a “ping-pong” strategy that has them informally working on a final bill that can get enough votes in each chamber instead of publicly hammering out the final bill.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Leader Harry Reid, CSPAN represents the views of most Americans who don’t want to see the process become a backroom deal behind closed doors.
C-SPAN CEO Brian Lamb asked them to “open all important negotiations, including any conference committee meetings, to electronic media coverage.”
“Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American,” Lamb added.
The C-SPAN letter mentions that Obama and congressional leaders have “all talked about the value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s health care system.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Times has issued an editorial that is getting passed around conservative political circles today calling Democrats on the carpet for hiding the conference committee process.
The article continues at LifeNews.com
