Bills get passed in omnibus spending bills all the time. For instance, as someone pointed out on the last thread about CISA: your COBRA health insurance? COBRA stands for &quot;Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act&quot;.<p>There was <i>extended</i> public debate and a prolonged amendment process for CISA and PCNA in both houses of Congress. There was intense media coverage and, once CISA passed in October, the consensus was that CISA was going to be the law of the land.<p>The one uncertainty about it was the extent to which the House would drag CISA towards PCNA&#x27;s broader law enforcement language. Thankfully, that drama, with its attendant opportunity for &quot;public commentary&quot;, didn&#x27;t happen.<p>For you to make a strong case for how important a prolonged conference committee would have been to the process, I think you should start by pointing out another bill that died in a conference committee due to public outcry. Has that <i>ever</i> happened?