Republicans prepare to bypass filibuster rules to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood
House Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process to repeal the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and end federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Budget reconciliation is the one chance each year that the majority party gets to bypass the Senate filibuster to get a bill to the President’s desk without needing a single vote from the minority party.
The House passed the budget reconciliation bill H.R. 3762 last Friday, sending it to the Senate. Because this special bill cannot be filibustered, Senate Republicans likely have the votes to pass it.
The bill would:
- Repeal the Affordable Care Act’s mandates that individuals have health insurance and that employers provide it. (text)
- Repeal the “Cadillac” tax on premium health care plans. (text)
- Prohibit Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood services for one year. (text)
- Increase the Community Health Center Fund by $235 million/year for two years. (text)
Earlier this year Republicans tried and failed to defund Planned Parenthood. In a previous article we explained how the budget reconciliation process would be used here. Friday’s vote was 240–189:
What Republicans Say
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman Rep. John Kline (R-MN2) says that H.R. 3762 “represents an important opportunity to reduce federal spending and help rein in our nation’s deficits and debt” caused by “the president’s flawed health care scheme.” Committee member Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN1), an OB/GYN physician, said,
“The . . . wasteful spending included in ObamaCare have put a strain on hardworking families and have succeeded only in making our already struggling economy worse.”
Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ5), one of seven Republicans voting against the bill, said he agrees with the overall concept to “act boldly and fully repeal this terrible law”, referring to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), but voted against the bill “because this bill didn’t go far enough” to repeal the Affordable Care Act entirely.
What Democrats Say
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD8) said in a press release,
For the 61st time . . . our Republican colleagues are moving forward on legislation to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. . . . Why in the world are we here on the floor of the House of Representatives passing legislation that’s going to take away affordable health care to 15 million Americans, including three million children?
All but one Democrat voted against. That was Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN7), the most conservative Democrat in the House according to our ideology analysis.
The White House has said the President would veto the bill. As a result, the bill may not be taken up in the Senate.
About Reconciliation
The reconciliation process traditionally has been used by lawmakers to reduce the deficit through revenue increases (tax hikes) and cuts to entitlements (e.g. Medicare and Medicaid, but not Social Security which cannot be changed under a reconciliation bill). The process has been used in the past to enact both tax cuts and tax increases, reforms to student loan programs, and even some minor pieces of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). Earlier this year there was talk of using it to pass a tax code overhaul that Obama and the Republicans could conceivably come to an agreement on.
