The Taco Shell Has Landed: Democrats release reconciliation Shell Bill for markup

The Democrats take their first step toward passing health care reform in the House. The first step is the creation of a shell bill that will hold all the changes they want the Senate to make in reconciliation. This bill will be passed along with the Senate version of the health care bill. 

From The Hill: House Democrats on Sunday night set into motion what they hope will be the final steps on healthcare reform. 

The House Budget Committee on Sunday evening released text that will serve as the base legislation for the changes the House will seek to the Senate bill this week. 

Specifically, the Budget committee released a 2,309-page effort that had been previously recommended to the Education and Labor Committee and Ways and Means Committee last year. 

The measure posted online does not include the substantive changes to the Senate healthcare bill that House Democrats will seek. Those changes will be offered during the markups in the Budget and Rules committees, which the budget panel hopes to begin on Monday afternoon.

The House is expected to approve the Senate's healthcare bill along with the package of changes. The Senate would then be expected to approve the package of changes under budget reconciliation rules. [MORE]

You can find the entire bill here.

Michelle Malkin has details of what is in the shell bill.

So what are the Democrats plopping into this Taco Shell Bill? They are going to fill the bill with the changes they want the Senate to pass and then they are going to tack on Obama’s nationalization of student loans too.

So why are the Democrats playing this shell game? The shell game is designed to sucker House Democrats. By plopping all the reconciliation changes into this bill and then sweetening it with nationalized student loan, Obama and Pelosi hope to sucker enough Democrats into voting for it along with the Senate version of the health care bill. If House Democrats are dumb enough to vote for the two bills, only the Senate version will become the law of the land, while the reconciliation shell bill will be forgotten, defeated or tied up in the Senate.

Paul Ryan predicted that this would be the strategy and Republicans are powerless to stop it.  Now is the time to make all the noise that you can. Call your Democrat House Reps and let they know they are being suckered and you are pissed! If you can make it, go to DC on Tuesday and vent your spleen.

Via: Memeorandum

Via: The Hill

Via: Michelle Malkin

Via: The American Spectator