Markey says she reads bills before voting, but how could she?
During an appearance on 9News’ “Your Show,” hosted by political reporter Adam Schrager, Markey said her approach to voting is to “read the bill, talk to staff and people on the committee and then go to constituents and listen to what they have to say.” But given that over 300 pages of amendments were introduced to the 1,200 page bill at 3 am before the final vote, it seems that not a single member of the House could have read the bill in its entirety. Insiders say even if a member wanted to review the legislation, a complete copy of the bill was hard to come by before the vote.
Markey’s “yes” vote has pitted her against fellow Democrats and her Republican challengers. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, ultimately voted against the bill, citing his fears the legislation could raise energy costs and particularly hurt the coal industry in his largely rural district.
“Well if you read the bill, there’s no way you would vote for it,” said state Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, who is seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Markey. “Her vote represents the special interests that got her elected, but not the interests of the fourth congressional district. To disarm our economy and choke out investment in this country’s businesses is just irresponsible.”
The bill narrowly passed the House by 219-212, after hours of tense negotiations. If passed by the Senate in similar form as in the House, the bill would mandate a 17 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and a 83-percent cut by 2050. It also requires that 20 percent of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2020.
Multiple calls to Markey’s office were not returned.
Click here to read the full story.