House GOP Moves to Defund Health Care Law
Eric Cantor.
/ CBSUnable to get their bill to repeal last year's health reform law through the Senate, House Republicans are taking another tack and trying to use the power of the purse to stop it or at least slow it down.
Rep Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, the House majority leader, told reporters today he expects the House to vote next week to bar any government funds from being used to implement the law. This would likely come in the form of an amendment to a measure to fund the government after March 4th, when temporary funding passed during last December's lame duck Congress runs out.
Republicans have already promised that measure will make deep cuts to non-defense government programs for the rest of the fiscal year (which runs until the end of September), setting up a confrontation with the Democratically-controlled Senate and President Obama. By targeting spending in programs Mr. Obama has said represent his priorities (including education, infrastructure and clean energy), the House Republicans are throwing down the gauntlet.
And by adding a provision designed to shut down implementation of the health reform law, they are pretty much guaranteeing that the bill won't pass the Senate or be signed by the president.
The result will be a high-stakes game of political chicken during the first few days of March as negotiations between the House, Senate and White House over the spending bill run up against the deadline when funding runs out -- raising the prospect of a government shutdown if agreement isn't reached.
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I don't care how they get rid of the health care bill as long as they get rid of it.
Those who vote to keep the law should consider the fact they might be committing political suicide.
You are fighting an old battle, with old facts -- just like the House GOP.
The Republicans are defunding anything and everything that would protect the American people from Big Business and the Big Banks. Of course, we all know that its the Government that has caused us harm. Big Business and the banksters would never do anything to harm us, right?
That is if they actually face there non-supporters at all. They would be better off improving the bill. Remember repeal and replace...still wating on the replace part.
Hospitals, filled with clogged emergency wards, have two choices. They can either raise their rates or they can shut down. If hospitals raise their rates, then insurance companies will have to follow suit. More people and employers will be priced out of the insurance market, and more people will rely on emergency wards for medical care.
The CBO has already pointed out that eliminating health care reform will cost billions of dollars more. The Republicans in Congress are simply passing the buck to the states who will have to deal with the medical meltdown. A number of hospitals are going to shut down. Emergency wards will be few and far between and many people will die.
But then the GOP doesn't give a rat about human life.
This bill is 'balanced' over ten years by taxing people for 4 years before providing any benefits. At the end of ten years it is adding $400 billion a year to the already skyrocketing debt. My children and grandchildren will be bankrupt before they benefit from this with the way the Dumbocrats are spending money...
Your grandkids would be better served if you tried to get the facts. Oh, and who is it "spending the money" mow ... hint, the House of Representatives holds the "purse"?
Greed is NOT good. Period.