The Defund-Obamacare Civil War

A handful of conservative Republicans walked into a meeting with Majority Leader Eric Cantor Monday night anticipating a discussion — an effort to find consensus.

What they got instead was a perfunctory heads-up about his plan for the upcoming fight over the “continuing resolution,” or CR, a bill to continue funding the government when the current appropriations run out. Under Cantor’s plan, the House would pass two different bills, a standard CR and a measure to defund Obamacare. Through parliamentary wizardry, though, the House would keep the Senate from voting on the CR bill until it had also voted on the Obamacare measure.

The meeting was part of what has been a difficult rollout for the Virginia Republican’s proposal, which is facing significant opposition from conservatives who would like to push harder to defund or delay Obamacare. The vote on the measures, planned for today or tomorrow, could easily go down in flames.

First, influential conservative outside groups such as the Club for Growth trashed the plan. Then, Senator Mike Lee, the original architect of the use-the-CR-to-defund-Obamacare strategy, ripped Cantor’s idea as a “face-saving” gimmick that added insult to the injury of abandoning the grassroots’ calls for a do-or-die fight on Obamacare. “It is not a plan to defund Obamacare — it’s a plan to facilitate the passage of a CR in a way that allows people to claim that they’re defunding Obamacare without actually doing so,” Lee told me.

Via: National Review Online

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Ted Cruz Opposes Eric Cantor and Pete Sessions’ “Hug It Out” Plan to Fund Obamacare

Multiple people confirm to me that just a few hours ago Pete Sessions blew up about Ted Cruz and made sure everyone in the room knew he held Cruz in absolute contempt.

It might be because Ted Cruz just called BS on Eric Cantor and Pete Sessions trying to screw conservatives.

Cantor and Sessions are pursuing a plan to make it very easy for the House to vote for defunding Obamacare while ensuring Obamacare is still able to get funded. Cruz, in a press release earlier today, called on the House of Representatives to not get cute and actually defund Obamacare.

“Last night, news reports surfaced that the House of Representatives might vote to ‘defund Obamacare’ in a way that easily allows Senate Democrats to keep funding Obamacare. If House Republicans go along with this strategy, they will be complicit in the disaster that is Obamacare.

“The American people are not surprised that politicians in Washington–of both parties–are afraid to take a stand. But another symbolic vote against Obamacare is meaningless. Obamacare is the biggest job killer in America, and people are hurting.

“House Republicans should pass a continuing resolution that funds government in its entirely–except Obamacare–and that explicitly prohibits spending any federal money, mandatory or discretionary, on Obamacare. They should not use any procedural chicanery to enable Harry Reid to circumvent that vote.

“If you oppose Obamacare, don’t fund Obamacare. Our elected leaders should listen to the American people.”

You too should tell Pete Sessions and Eric Cantor to stop playing games with the lives of Americans. They need to defund Obamacare, not just pretend to.

Via: Red State

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Republicans' Latest Attack on Obamacare Involves IRS

(CNSNews.com) - The effort to derail Obamacare may run through the Internal Revenue Service, House Republican leaders say.

Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) says, "Republicans are really gearing up for one big week next week," when they plan to introduce a bill -- one of 11 -- that would remove the IRS as the enforcer of Obamacare. 

"We know what's going on at the IRS," Cantor told Fox News's Greta Van Susteren Wednesday night. "We know there (is) a lot of evidence...to demonstrate there is a political witch hunt going on in the tax enforcement agency, and yet that agency now is going to be into your healthcare records and help implement Obamacare. That's not something we want."

The Treasury Department inspector general recently reported that the IRS gave inappropriate scrutiny to conservative groups filing applications for tax-exempt status, delaying many of those applications for months -- in some cases, beyond the 2012 presidential election.

Via: CNS News

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Carney Tells Republicans to ‘Pay Some Attention to Spanish-Language Media’

With the immigration debate ongoing and the House weighing its legislative plans, Jay Carney said Republican leaders need to follow Spanish-language media.

Noting a La Opinión editorial opposing Republicans’ version of the DREAM Act, Carney told reporters that “all of us, but mostly Republican leaders, [need] to pay some attention to the Spanish-language media in this country.” (La Opinión is America’s largest Spanish-language newspaper, and second-most-widely-circulated newspaper in Los Angeles.)

“That media are making clear [sic] they expect action from Congress, and they hold those who oppose commonsense solutions to this challenge responsible,” he explained.

Eric Cantor and Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte have reportedly been working on a Republican version of the DREAM Act that provide a path to citizenship for the children who were brought to the U.S. illegally. Democrats have already voiced dissatisfaction with the bill because the children’s parents won’t have a similar path.

Carney reiterated that the administration wants to pass a comprehensive version of immigration reform, rather than taking the piece-by-piece approach preferred by House Republicans. Carney said he believed that, ultimately, the “the consensus is so strong” behind comprehensive reform that “a bill will land on the president’s desk that meets his principles.”

Via: National Review Online

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Dem Rep Moves to Block Obama's Congressional Pay Increase

A Democratic member of Congress is moving to block President Barack Obama's congressional pay increase. The move, led by John Barrow of Georgia, is to prevent the pay increase that Obama issued through an executive order from going into effect.

"At a time when American families face real hardship, it would be irresponsible to allow Congressional pay to increase," says Barrow in a statement. "Too many families face uncertainty in the New Year for Congress to get a bonus. Folks expect us to be looking out for them, not ourselves, and we should be working to lower taxes, cut spending, and get our nation's debt under control. Congress should get to work, and I urge the House leadership to do anything and everything possible to stop this pay increase for Members of Congress right away."

Barrow's office explains: "The Executive Order called for a pay increase for Members of Congress and other elected officials of 0.5 percent after March 27, 2013. During tonight's votes, Congressman Barrow will urge his colleagues to sign his letter to House Leadership urging them to bring legislation to the floor to block the pay increase."

Here's the letter Barrow is circulating to send to House leadership:

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor, Leader Pelosi, Whip Hoyer,

We oppose the pay increase for Members of Congress granted by Executive Order on December 27, 2012. The Executive Order would raise our salaries by $900 per year, beginning March 27, 2013.

We believe that it is inappropriate for Members of Congress to receive a pay increase of any size while American families and taxpayers continue to face tough economic times.

We urge you to bring legislation to the floor to stop this pay adjustment as soon as possible.

Via: Weekly Standard

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ObamaCare's Insurance Exchange Nightmare

When the Supreme Court upheld ObamaCare as a tax last summer, President Obama may have thought he could breathe a little easier. But now with the implementation of the law, Obama is just beginning his war with the states that refuse to implement ObamaCare exchanges needed for the legislation to work properly or at least, quickly.

The Obama administration faces major logistical and financial challenges in creating health insurance exchanges for states that have declined to set up their own systems.

The exchanges were designed as the centerpiece of President Obama’s signature law, and are intended to make buying health insurance comparable to booking a flight or finding a compatible partner on Match.com.

Sixteen states — most of them governed by Republicans — have said they will not set up their own systems, forcing the federal government to come up with one instead.

Another five states said they want a federal-state partnership, while four others are considering partnerships.

It's a situation no one anticipated when the Affordable Care Act was written. The law assumed states would create and operate their own exchanges, and set aside billions in grants for that purpose.

Essentially, states denying the exchanges forces the feds to do the work, as they should considering it is a federal law that balloons state budgets.

The work of beginning to implement the exchanges comes just in time for the fiscal cliff. Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor have hinted ObamaCare may be on the table as a negotiating piece for a deal.

The president’s health care law adds a massive, expensive, unworkable government program at a time when our national debt already exceeds the size of our country’s entire economy. We can’t afford it, and we can’t afford to leave it intact. That’s why I’ve been clear that the law has to stay on the table as both parties discuss ways to solve our nation’s massive debt challenge.

Meanwhile, the majority of Americans still despise ObamaCare and want it repealed.

Fifty percent (50%) of Likely U.S. Voters favor repeal of President Obama’s national health care law, while 44% are opposed to repeal, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Via: TownHall

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Rangel umbrage at Cantor: Higher taxes are 'paying your fair share!'

Censured Tax Cheat Charlie Rangel

New York Rep. Charles Rangel, censured by the House for ethics violations over squirrely financial dealings like failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets and failing to pay income taxes, today called President Obama's goal of killing some Bush tax cuts "paying your fair share!"

The 82-year-old's umbrage came in a tweet while he was in the Cannon Rotunda interview area. According to a picture he also tweeted, he was near House Majority Leader Eric Cantor who was in a discussion over the Bush tax cuts.

"My ears perking up to hear RepCantor saying taxes will go up under Pres Obama. It's called 'paying your fair share!'" Rangel tweeted just after noon.

His picture shows Rangel waiting to be interviewed with Cantor off to the right, TV light shining off his face as he is being interviewed.

It's the second time this week Rangel has ranted on proper ethics and tax paying. Earlier this week he rapped Mitt Romney for accurately saying that some 47 percent of Americans don't pay taxes. Rangel said in a statement that was just federal taxes, and that the 47 percent actually do pay some taxes, presumably local taxes.

When the tweet made its way around Capitol Hill today, many Rangel critics choked, mocking his long list of ethical challenges. His reputation and career were damaged when he was charged with ethical violations, forced to step down as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and eventually censured.

Via: Washington Times

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CRS report: number of able-bodied adults on food stamps doubled after Obama suspended work requirement

Obama administration officials have insisted that their decision to grant states waivers to redefine work requirements for welfare recipients would not “gut” the landmark 1996 welfare reform law. But a new report from the Congressional Research Service obtained by the Washington Examiner suggests that the administration’s suspension of a separate welfare work requirement has already helped explode the number of able-bodied Americans on food stamps.

In addition to the broader work requirement that has become a contentious issue in the presidential race, the 1996 welfare reform law included a separate rule encouraging able-bodied adults without dependents to work by limiting the amount of time they could receive food stamps. President Obama suspended that rule when he signed his economic stimulus legislation into law, and the number of these adults on food stamps doubled, from 1.9 million in 2008 to 3.9 million in 2010, according to the CRS report, issued in the form of a memo to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.

“This report once again confirms that President Obama has severely gutted the welfare work requirements that Americans have overwhelmingly supported since President Clinton signed them into law,” Cantor said in an emailed statement. “It’s time to reinstate these common-sense measures, and focus on creating job growth for those in need.”

Via: The Examiner

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A NOTE TO MAXINE WATERS

I am writing this note to you on behalf of the American people. In 1990 you were elected to serve your constituents and the citizens of the United States. You were given the “PRIVILEGE” of serving them, but you have done nothing but line your pockets off the backs of your constituents and nothing more. You have become rich while the people in your district are suffering even more than ever. You are an embarrassment to your office and do not deserve to hold theoffice that you have been elected to. Your continued hate speeches do nothing but enrage and divide. You continue to embarrass yourself and your party every day that you are inoffice. You have no ideas to bring forth so you vilify those that do. 

You have been named as one of the top ten corrupt politicians in congress time and time again yet you continue unabated and act like you are a victim. You are not a victim but you continue to victimize all of those around you. You have told the tea party to go to hell and you have called two esteemed leaders Speaker of the House Boehner and Congressman Cantor "DEMONS". This is disrespectful to them and the people they serve and “WE THE PEOPLE” and you should be admonished for this. These are not the words that should ever be coming from a member of Congress. 

It is an abomination and an insult to the America I love and the America you live in to continue to speak in a way that weakens all of us. It is a daunting task to run this country and you have done nothing to help and everything to undermine those you are supposed to serve. Until the day you are swept from office I will continue to expose you for who you are and nothing less. It's time for you to say goodbye and write your book of lies.