Is It Too Much to Ask Congress to Read Bills Before Voting?

By Paul Blumenthal
Special to Roll Call

November 19, 2008

When Members of Congress moved to bail out Wall Street, they settled on a tried and true, “old school” legislative tactic: Don’t give anyone a chance to read the bill. Negotiations were done in secret, staffers were forced to leave their BlackBerrys at the door and the bill was dropped less than 24 hours before a vote was held.

Subscribe to Roll Call

Already registered? Login at the top of the page.

Roll Call is the first and only call for the people, politics and personality of Capitol Hill. Sign up today to get Roll Call delivered to your inbox and/or doorstep.

Already a print subscriber? Click here for instant online access.

Work on Capitol Hill? Click here for free access.

Questions? Call 202/824-6800