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Repeal and Defund
This week the House passed, with my support, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. This bill delivers on promises to repeal provisions of the disastrous 2010 healthcare law and defunds Planned Parenthood for one year. Reconciliation is a budgetary process that allows for a simple majority vote in the Senate, instead of the 60 votes normally required to avoid a filibuster. This process is the most effective strategy to put a bill on the president’s desk that repeals the individual and employer mandate, the medical device tax, the Cadillac tax, and eliminates mandatory funding for Planned Parenthood. While I will continue to fight for a full repeal of Obamacare, this legislation dismantles the healthcare law and forces the Senate and the president to defend Obamacare and taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. Here are the major accomplishments of the legislation:
Repeals key provisions of Obamacare
- Repeals the individual mandate
- Repeals the employer mandate
- Repeals the medical device tax
- Repeals the Cadillac tax
Defunds Planned Parenthood for one year
NDAA Update
The House and Senate approved, with my support, a conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and sent the legislation to the president's desk. In case you missed it, read my thoughts on passage here: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016.
On Thursday, President Obama decided to put his domestic spending agenda above our troops and veto the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act. NDAA has been vetoed 4 times in over 50 years, each time for a president objecting to a specific policy provision. It is unprecedented for a president to veto a defense authorization bill, which provides pay and support for our troops and their families, as leverage to increase domestic spending. What is even more disturbing, the president invited reporters and photographers to chronicle his signing of the veto message. As someone who has served, I can’t understand what message the commander-in-chief is trying to send our troops. The House will vote to override the president's veto on November 5th.
Speaker Update
Speaker Boehner announced House Republicans will hold an election to nominate the new Speaker on October 28th and votes on the House floor are expected to take place on October 29th. Let me know your thoughts on the upcoming Speaker's election here.
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