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40 GOP Senators Sign Letter to Reid Demanding Internet Posting of Healthcare Bill

By Noel Sheppard | October 29, 2009 | 18:40

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Candidate Barack Obama made a big deal about government transparency and giving citizens ample opportunity to read pieces of legislation before they're voted on.

With this in mind, all 40 Republican Senators signed a letter sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Thursday demanding the new healthcare reform proposal be published on the Internet so that ALL Americans can "learn how the federal government is spending their money."

The full text with signatories was posted on Sen. Jeff Sessions' (R-Ala.) Facebook page moments ago:

Today, all 40 Republican senators wrote a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) asking that in the interest of full transparency, as promised by President Obama, that he immediately release the new Senate Democrat health care bill to the American public.

Here's the text:

Hon. Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Leader,

On Monday, you announced that you had sent health care legislation to the Congressional Budget office (CBO). As you know, this legislation will have a profound impact on the lives of every American, including the next generation who will be forced to pay for it. Our national debt stands at nearly $12 trillion, with a deficit of $1.4 trillion. The health care bill will likely be more than 1,000 pages long and is the single most important legislation we will consider and debate this year in Congress.

With an issue this large and complex, we need full transparency at every stage in the legislative process. President Obama was elected, in part, on his promise to bring greater transparency to the workings of the federal government. The American people and every member of Congress should be allowed to read the bill that was sent to CBO. The bill should be made available for taxpayers to read and learn how the federal government is spending their money. We are writing to request that you immediately make all materials sent to CBO publicly available on the internet.

Sincerely,
Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.)
Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.)
Sen. Robert Bennett (Utah)
Sen. Christopher Bond (Mo.)
Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.)
Sen. Jim Bunning (Ky.)
Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.)
Sen. Thad Cochran (Miss.)
Sen. Susan Collins (Me.)
Sen. John Cornyn (Texas)
Sen. Michael Crapo (Idaho)
Sen. Jim DeMint (S.C.)
Sen. John Ensign (Nev.)
Sen. Michael Enzi (Wyo.)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
Sen. Charles Grassley (Iowa)
Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.)
Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah)
Sen. Kay Hutchison (Texas)
Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.)
Sen. John Isakson (Ga.)
Sen. Mike Johanns (Neb.)
Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.)
Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.)
Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.)
Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Aka.)
Sen. Jim Risch (Idaho)
Sen. Pat Roberts (Kan.)
Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (Me.)
Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)
Sen. David Vitter (La.)
Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio)
Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.)