Waxman Requests Information on White House Deals

[kpete]

Source: New York Times

January 27, 2010, 7:22 pm
Waxman Requests Information on White House Deals
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

The Obama administration’s health care proposals are taking fire from all sides. A powerful House Democrat on Wednesday lent some support to a Republican effort to press the White House for documents and details about any deals it made with drug companies, hospitals, labor unions and other interest groups during its behind-the-scenes negotiations over the proposed health care overhaul.

Representative Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who is chairman of the House energy and commerce committee, agreed to join the panel’s Republicans in writing a joint letter to the White House requesting more information.

“There is a legitimate need for transparency regarding health reform,” Mr. Waxman said in statement at a panel meeting on the request.

In some ways, Mr. Waxman’s support for the letter also helps defuse the Republicans’ request. Representative Michael Burgess, Republican of Texas, had introduced a formal resolution making a broader petition for information. Praising the Obama administration’s general efforts toward openness, Mr. Waxman called the original Republican resolution too intrusive. The narrower joint letter is expected to supersede it.

Read more: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/27/waxman-requests-information-on-white-house-deals/

[LiberalFighter]

1. Hey dickheads. If there are any deals they will be in the legislation.

Or aren't you all reading it?

[truedelphi]

5. My laugh of the day. Thank you. n/t

[salib]

2. Openness is openness

I think it is essential to Democracy.

I want to know.

Sets a good precedent for future Admins which are not so interested in openness.

[Dover]

3. I agree somewhat w/ Waxman and find it similar to the Cheney meeting with the big energy companies.

I recall reading that the big energy players even wrote some (or all) of the legislation they wanted to pass. But unlike Cheney, I don't think Obama is in bed with big Pharma.

I'm torn.
Are some things best done behind closed doors? If people understood
the give and take of negotiations and all the myriad side issues which make it exceptionally complex, perhaps it would be unnecessary.
But many people believe big Pharma (or big Energy)
doesn't deserve ANY favorable terms. Is that realistic?

Nonetheless, if someone is negotiating for me I would like to know what
the terms are BEFORE final decisions are made on my behalf and receive as thorough an explanation of why I'm expected to make certain concessions as is possible. Obviously Obama is of the notion that given the current climate of gridlock and heavy lobbying, some movement in the right direction is more realistic than going for the whole enchillada.

Still, the main hurdle is not about Health Insurance at all, because we have gotten ourselves (Washington and us) into a circular repeating pattern that makes ANY decision impossible. And trust of other's motivations is almost non-existent. Reform must start in our hearts and values and make its way into our calcifying systems or the system becomes static and dead. That lack of trust and the valuing of money and personal gain over what's best for the whole is exactly what Obama addressed in his SOTU speech.

[Donnachaidh]

4. hey -- he stated he wanted TRANSPARENCY -- DO IT.

Back room deals smack of the same old politics. If there was nothing wrong with those deals then bringing the details into the public domain hurts no one, and helps the administration *walk the walk*.

[goforit]

6. Go Waxman!!! Show us the money!

[Vidar]

7. Good for Waxman.