Sentence:  And White House officials admit they underestimated how ugly Capitol Hill's <WSD>sausagemaking</WSD> process would look in the spotlight, turning a debate about expanding health coverage, controlling costs and reining in the abuses of profit-obsessed insurers into a brawl over "death panels," taxpayer-funded abortions and congressional giveaways to Nebraska. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Lawmaking.