Democrat Rules Package Restricts Participation and Repeals Reforms
Despite promising a more transparent and bipartisan Congress, House Democrats voted for a rules package for the 111th Congress which significantly restricts the rights of minority Members to offer alternatives on spending and revenue bills. Specifically, the rules package rolls back the guarantee of the Minority to offer an alternative through the motion to recommit, a parliamentary technique to alter or delay legislation before final passage. By restricting the form in which the Minority can offer their alternatives, the Democratic Leadership has made it nearly impossible to strike a tax increase from a bill. Moreover, the rules package repeals a key reform put in place in 1995—six-year term limits for standing committee chairmen. The term limits rule was designed to ensure that no one has a monopoly on important policy questions facing our nation and that fresh ideas and new perspectives are considered. The rules package restricts participation, stifles debate, and repeals critical reforms.
House Passes Expansion of Government-Run Health Care
The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to dramatically expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which is set to expire at the end of April 2009. However, rather than refocus SCHIP as a targeted safety net for low-income uninsured children, the House passed a bill to extend coverage to children in families with significantly higher incomes and opened the program to fraudulent use by illegal immigrants. Under this bill, states are allowed to expand coverage for children up to 350 percent above the poverty level, 95 percent of whom already have some form of private insurance. Additionally, a provision was included allowing individuals to receive SCHIP benefits without having to show proof of citizenship, potentially allowing illegal immigrants to take advantage of taxpayer-funded health care. It will institute government-run health care in middle class America and allow illegal immigrants to further flood our nation’s hospitals.
Well there you go. That should make things run smoother and a little less painful. For the Dems in Congress, all you have to do walk up and put your money in the basket.
