Democracy?

House Passes Bill Without the Votes Needed to Pass

And how did they do that you might wonder? They did it under a suspension of the rules, by a voice vote, with very few members present. The bill was gavelled through just as the House came into session Thursday afternoon in a mostly empty chamber.

What they voted on was irrelevant

I've specifically avoided mention of the subject of the bill as what I wanted to address was the tactic, a bipartisan tactic executed by the leadership of both parties in a move that was a surprise to most of the members of the House.

Leadership opted to bring the bill straight to the floor “under suspension of the rules,” meaning it needed a two-thirds vote to pass — a higher threshold than the normal simple majority. But it was not clear that a sufficient number of votes could be found.  Shortly after noon, the bill was passed by voice vote, with the chair — Republican Rep. Steve Womack — deciding that two-thirds of the very few members in the room had said “aye.” Most members were unaware the vote was taking place and missed it, as did quite a few reporters. Daily Caller

John Dingle (D) "I’ve seen a lot of dumb things, but I’ve never seen anything quite as comical as this"

Mick Mulvaney (R) "Bullshit"

Lynn Westmoreland (R) “No one objected. No one was there to object,”

Frank Pallone (D) "This bill is bad for seniors and it's bad for doctors "

Welcome to the Banana Republic of the United States where a handful of people actually get to make the laws through trickery and deceit.