House Ways and Means Committee Marathon Markup Tackles Major Tax, Healthcare Bill

The House Ways and Means committee held an extended markup session of President Donald Trump's comprehensive tax and government spending bill, lasting over 18 hours. The marathon session saw representatives from both political parties struggle with fatigue, impacting their participation in key votes, including those concerning amendments to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid provisions. Notably, Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) fell asleep during the proceedings but continued to engage once awakened, voting against an amendment to protect ACA automatic enrollment which ultimately did not pass.

The markup meeting, addressing significant tax and healthcare policy changes, including Medicaid, began on Tuesday afternoon and extended overnight, possibly exceeding 27 hours, breaking previous House records for continuous debate on healthcare legislation. The prolonged discussion underscores the high-stakes nature of proposed changes to government spending and healthcare programs, emphasizing the ongoing legislative challenges in shaping U.S. policy on these issues.