Paul blocked from seizing GOP Obamacare bill House Republicans said there is nothing untoward about the process and privately griped about Paul's stunt.

Sen. Rand Paul tried unsuccessfully to wrest a draft of the House GOP's Obamacare bill from a secure room in the Capitol on Thursday, an escalation of his opposition to the party's health care plans.

The bill had apparently been moved from the room, which was guarded by Capitol Police — or was never there at all — by the time Paul got there. But his decision to stomp over to the House side with dozens of reporters in tow, highlighted conservatives’ concerns about an opaque process as the GOP races to repeal Obamacare.


The conservative senator from Kentucky went into a House hideaway in the Capitol, claimed he was told he could not remove the bill and make it public, and then held an impromptu news conference, complaining about House Republicans' lack of transparency.

“If you recall where Obamacare was passed in 2009, 2010, Nancy Pelosi said we’ll know what’s in it after we pass it. The Republican Party shouldn’t act in the same way," Paul said in a circus-like atmosphere outside the offices of House leaders. “This is being presented as if it were a national secret, as it if it were a plot to invade another country. … That's wrong. It should be done openly in the public. And conservatives who have objections that don't want Obamacare-lite should be able to see the bill."

Republican aides said they believed the room on the first floor of the Capitol was at one point being used for Energy and Commerce members to read the bill, but by the time Paul got there, it appeared that was no longer the case. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), a committee member, said he also was not able to read the bill and was told it was not available.

“They said that this room was a holdover room," Tonko said. “I said: 'Where’s the room number?' And they didn’t know. I want to read the bill because it’s affecting one-sixth of the economy."

Paul had an exchange with a staffer as he attempted to obtain the draft bill, which could be voted on later this month.

"I said I liked to get a copy and they said, 'no go.' She wouldn't tell us anything really," Paul said in an interview afterward. "Even if I were allowed to look at it, which it didn't look like I was, how is that democracy?"

A source familiar with the matter said Paul was talking to a scheduler for Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas), who was meeting with Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) at the time. She had nothing to do with the Obamacare bill, the source said.

House Republicans said there is nothing untoward about the process and privately griped about Paul's stunt and reporters for covering it. Paul had clearly prepared: Aides carried a photocopier with him on the chance that he would get a chance to make copies of the bill, and television cameras filmed Paul in a narrow hallway as police officers yelled at reporters to move out of the way.

"Committees write bills. That’s what they are currently working on,” said one House Republican aide. “It’s only their part of the bill, and there’s another committee with jurisdiction, too. It’s confusing why this wouldn’t be expected.”

After Paul's news conference, several House Democrats then began broadcasting their efforts to find the bill. Staffers let reporters into the room that Paul tried to enter to show there was nothing to hide. However, House Republicans would not disclose exactly where the bill is being held for members to review.

"Some media reports have indicated that the Energy and Commerce Committee has a secret bill to repeal and replace Obamacare — this is not true," said Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden in a statement.

For Paul, the episode reflected his growing concerns about where the House is going, particularly by providing refundable tax credits to people to buy health insurance in an effort to replace Obamacare's subsidies for the health insurance exchanges. Three Republican senators' opposition would tank the party's repeal efforts, and Paul said "the conservative world is going to be up in a roar" when they hear about the House's approach.

On Wednesday, Walden and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) briefed GOP senators on the House's blueprint, though senators said afterward they could not commit to it because they did not get bill text and were only given explanations of what the bill would do.

But GOP leaders are undeterred: The House and Senate are both aiming to pass an Obamacare bill in the early spring, an ambitious deadline.

Paul said at this point that he just wants the public to see what exactly the Republicans are planning to do.

"It's literally illegal in my state to do that," Paul said of the secrecy. "You can understand for national security why we do it. But for goodness sakes, for a health care bill? It's crazy."

