Top Secret Stimulus - Post from WSJ Political Diary

Democrats apparently are in a mad rush to pass their stimulus bill before the public or Members of Congress have much chance to read it. Just a few days ago the House overwhelmingly passed a new procedural rule requiring 48-hour public notice before any bill faces a roll call vote. The idea was to allow voters to review bills online before they are approved by Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been crowing about this new era of transparency.

But the stimulus bill, which numbers more than 700 pages and was just renegotiated by the House and Senate Democratic leadership, may be voted on less than 24 hours after the agreement was reached. Last night, House Republicans were vocally complaining that they still didn't know the line-by-line details of the biggest spending bill to hit Capitol Hill since World War II. We also hear that House Blue Dog Democrats are furious with Ms. Pelosi for forcing a vote that clearly violates the party's own brand new sunshine rule.

Many squeamish House Democrats who represent mostly Republican districts are getting slammed back home for voting in favor of the original House stimulus bill. These moderates are also angry that the Democratic leadership bill made more room for pork by slicing Barack Obama's much-heralded tax cut for families by 20%. Couples were supposed to get $1,000, now they will get $800 off their income taxes.

A House Republican leadership staff member tells me: "Yep, looks like they will waive that [disclosure] rule even before the ink is dry on it." Rep. Dave Camp, ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, adds: "Frankly, because this process has been so rushed, we are literally flying blind."

One rumor is that Democrats want to speedily enact the bill in the House without public vetting because Nancy Pelosi has to fly to Italy over the weekend. Democrats in the leadership are also getting weary of this stimulus debate. They're aware of the shrinking public approval and want to strong-arm the bill through Congress before rank-and-file House members get cold feet.

So the era of transparency and openness on Capitol Hill has come and gone. Mr. Camp pleads: "The American people have a right to know what's in this bill." Ms. Pelosi thinks it best that they learn about the bill's contents only after Barack Obama has signed it into law.

-- Stephen Moore