So I got curious...how much did it cost taxpayers for R's serial voting on ACA repeal?

[Leghorn21]

- enough for a whole lot of Meals on Wheels, it seems. I could only find this article from 2013 addressing my query...at the time, they were about to vote on it for the 37th time, at a cost of 53.8 million dollars.

They apparently ended up with a total of 60 such "political theater" performances, and my calculator says that the cost to US taxpayers was another 33.5 million, for a total of 87.3 million dollars...gotdammit.

(And they're they're seriously bad actors to boot...!)


WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) – Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote for the 37th time to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care act. The political theater will give conservatives fodder for their constituents, but will end up costing voters even more.

Last year, CBS News calculated that the first 33 votes to repeal health care reform took up approximately 80 hours of floor time from the House, or roughly two weeks. The Congressional Research Service said it costs $24 million to run the House for a week, so the first 33 votes cost taxpayers approximately $48 million.

The numbers translate to approximately $1.45 million per vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the House of Representatives. Adding in the three votes since CBS News’ report last year plus Thursday’s planned vote would add $5.8 million to the total.

In other words, since 2011, the House of Representatives has spent approximately $53.8 million attempting to repeal health care reform. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office estimated last year that repeal would add $109 billion to deficits over the next decade, according to TalkingPointsMemo.com.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/05/16/obamacare-repeal-votes-costs-tens-of-millions/

[former9thward]

1. It did not cost anything.

Whether the House or Senate votes on something or not it costs the same amount of money. Representatives and Senators get paid whether they vote or not. Their staff gets paid. The House chambers and Senate chambers cost the same voting or no voting.

[Leghorn21]

3. Ohhh, copy that. They could sit quietly, meditating, all day, and the cost would be the same.

Thank you, former! - I will now retract my righteous indignation on this imagined issue and find a better place to apply it!

[Afromania]

6. That's true

but the true cost of what they did can not be accurately calculated. The time, effort and energy they spent having, what we now know to be staged, repeal votes. Could have most assuredly been better spent trying to pass legislation to help the people of this country. What's the real loss for their decision to play partisan bullshitball? We'll probably never know the real opportunity cost of what they did. However, what I do know is that they used the hate of Obama, and the ACA, to install a freaking madman in office because of it.

[Leghorn21]

7. So well said, Afro - can't count the price paid using mere "dollars" - sigh - n/t

[Jonny Appleseed]

2. Why does it take so much to run the house?

Can't they do this shit on skype already?

[Achilleaze]

4. republicans squandering our tax dollars on their failed wankoff parties

sucks

it's freakin deplorable

[uppityperson]

5. Thank you, I get your point as was wondering that also.