Sen. John McCain, on January 20, 2010, had this to say about the Senate halting work on the Affordable Care Act until Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA) could be seated.
So here we are, and now the rumors are that they will jam this proposal through the House of Representatives and then bypass what has always been the normal legislative process. They should not do that. The American people have spoken. The people of Massachusetts have spoken for the rest of America: Stop this process, sit down in open and transparent negotiations, and let's begin from the beginning.
Here's Mitch McConnell, that same day on the Senate floor:
We need to move in a new directiona dramatically new direction. That is the message of Virginia. That is the message of New Jersey. That is the message of Massachusetts.
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"There's absolutely no reason to wait to seat Senator-elect Brown and with each passing day he is prevented from participating in the legislative process. This delay tactic along with reports that top Democrats continue to plot passage of health care reform show that its business as usual in Washington ignoring the will of Massachusetts voters and moving forward with a disturbing health care plan that America simply does not want."