GOP to try to stop 'Slaughter solution'

House GOP leaders will try to force the House to vote on the Senate’s healthcare bill.

Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.), who defected from the Democratic Party last December out of frustration on healthcare, will offer a resolution barring Democratic leaders from using the so-called “Slaughter solution.”

According to GOP aides, the resolution would require the House to hold an up-or-down vote on the Senate healthcare bill.

Democrats are considering the use of a self-executing rule to approve the Senate’s healthcare bill. Under the procedure, the House would “deem” the Senate bill passed when it votes on a package of changes to that legislation.

The package of changes then will be voted on by the Senate under budget reconciliation rules, which prevent Republicans from mounting a filibuster.

The House Rules Committee on Tuesday issued a memo defending the tactic as frequently used, including by Republicans. The GOP has argued it is deceptive and has not been used on legislation of this magnitude.

Republicans refer to the tactic as the "Slaugher solution" because Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) is the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, which would draft the self-executing rule.

GOP aides say their leaders would look to force a vote “this week” on the resolution barring use of the self-executing rule on healthcare.

Democrats are aiming for a vote on the package by this weekend, but it is unclear when it will come to the floor.

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