Coburn Vows to Read Health Care Bill on Senate Floor

Sen.Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) confirmed Senate Democratic leaders’ fears that hewill insist that the massive health care reform bill be read aloud onthe Senate floor.

“The American people are going to get to hear this bill read, period,” Coburn told reporters Monday night.

The bill isexpected to be hundreds of pages long and possibly more than 1,000pages. It would take the Senate clerk several days to read the entirething.

One seniorSenate Democratic aide said Republicans will be expected to man thefloor the entire time if they want the bill read aloud.

Otherwise, Reidmight ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. Such requestsare routinely granted in the Senate, but opponents have occasionallyobjected to either slow down progress on the bill or to highlight otherobjections.

Coburn said hewould also block other legislative shortcuts that Reid might seek toemploy. For example, he said he would require the Senate to use up theentire 30-hour debate period called for after a filibuster has beenbroken. Republicans plan to try to filibuster the motion to proceed tothe health care measure, but Democrats say they think they will be ableto rally all 60 Members of their caucus to produce the three-fifthsvote needed to block the gambit. The vote on the filibuster could occuras early as Friday but may be pushed into the weekend, Democratic aidessaid Monday.

If Coburn follows through on his threats, the Senate could be in session most of Thanksgiving week.

But Coburnpredicted the time constraints of the holiday would force Reid to beginreading the bill after Thanksgiving. Either way, he said Republicanswould “rotate” shifts on the Senate floor during the bill’s reading.

Earlier thismonth, Republican leadership aides said Coburn was unlikely to makesuch a move without the blessing of GOP leaders.