CBS host Stephen Colbert on Friday joked that the bill to replace ObamaCare is the only thing so far in Washington, D.C. that hasn’t been leaked to the press.
Colbert aimed his jab at GOP senators who have been accused of crafting the legislation in secrecy, behind closed doors.
The “Late Show” host told his audience that Republicans were hard at work crafting the bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and joked that they had a “foolproof plan” to pass it — by not letting Democrats see it first.
“What’s in it?” Colbert asked. “Who knows? All we know so far is their foolproof plan for getting it passed, ‘keeping their healthcare bill secret.'”
“Yes, yes,” Colbert said to laughs. “Somehow, your health insurance is the one piece of classified information that no one has leaked yet.”
{mosads}
Leaks abound in Washington under the Trump administration. The White House battles daily reports ranging from serious policy details to stories about the president yelling at TVs.
Colbert continued, ripping Senate Republicans for not having the courage to open up their bill for public discussion.
“The Senate healthcare bill is so very secret, it’s like, it’s like the healthcare bill is the next season of ‘Game of Thrones,'” he joked of the notoriously spoiler-proof HBO show. “And yet, somehow, more people will die.”
Colbert commented the same day Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) blasted Senate Republicans on “CBS This Morning” for not allowing Democrats “in the room” with the bill.
“Right now, the Senate Republican leadership has 13 men locked behind doors, negotiating what they’re going to do on a healthcare bill — won’t let Democrats in the room to even see the bill,” Warren said Friday. “We need to be able to see this bill, not to decide a month later that it’s ‘mean’ after it becomes law.”
Warren referred to reports that President Trump called the House’s ObamaCare repeal bill “mean” and said it should be more generous while speaking to senators Tuesday.