Subpoena threat issued for ObamaCare files

House Republicans are threatening to subpoena documents related to an ObamaCare program at the center of their lawsuit against President Obama.

The Republican chairmen of the Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees on Wednesday released a letter to the administration reiterating a request made in February for documents related to the program. 

Reps. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) set a deadline of July 21 for a response. If the administration does not provide the documents by then, a subpoena will be considered, they said.

“If HHS fails to produce the documents and information, the committees will have no choice but to consider the use of the compulsory process to obtain them,” the letter states.

Ryan and Upton first asked for the documents in February. The letter reiterating the request was sent to Health Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

House Republicans argue that the administration is unconstitutionally spending money on an ObamaCare program despite Congress declining to appropriate money for it. That allegation is at the center of House Republicans’ lawsuit, which is being heard by a federal court in the case House v. Burwell

The funds in question are for “cost-sharing reductions” that help insurers lower out-of-pocket costs for low-income people.

House Republicans are seeking documents related to the administration’s decision to make payments through the program despite the absence of an appropriation. 

In court filings, the administration has laid out the case that it did not need an appropriation for the funds because they are mandatory spending not subject to the appropriations process. 

Republicans counter the administration requested an appropriation for the program in 2013, which was turned down. But the administration says it later realized the request was unnecessary because it had the funds through mandatory spending. 

Obama administration officials also say Congress never took action to block the funds and even passed a bill, the No Subsidies Without Verification Act, that was predicated on the idea that the funds were available.

“Thus, although the House seeks to focus on the Administration’s initial budget request for FY2014, the end result of the budget process for that year confirms a shared understanding that these payments could be made,” the administration wrote in a court filing last week.

The administration has asked that the lawsuit be dismissed, saying Congress does not have legal standing to sue the president.

But Judge Rosemary Collyer leveled tough questions at the Department of Justice lawyer during arguments on the question in May.

Via: The Hill

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HOUSE REPUBLICANS AIM TO STRIP PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S FUNDING

House Republicans released a budget proposal this week that would eliminate Title X funding — which provides funding to Planned Parenthood for contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs — an act pro-abortion advocate immediately characterized as an attack against women.

Cecile Richards 

✔@CecileRichards

If GOP leaders think they can cut 4.6 m Americans' access to care without one hell of a fight, they've got another thing coming. #SaveTitleX

8:04 AM - 17 Jun 2015

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The House Appropriations Committee’s draft of its fiscal year 2016 Labor, Health and Human Services (LHHS) funding bill “eliminates all funding for the controversial Family Planning Program, saving taxpayers nearly $300 million.” The bill would also substantially cut so-called “comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention programs,” but double funding for abstinence-centered or Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) programs.

The National Abstinence Education Association (NAEA) found that the SRA approach is effective, supported by both parents and an increasing number of teens, and consistent with other public health initiatives for teens such as anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-drug, and anti-violence programs that have also been effective.

“Largely misrepresented, SRA education is more than just about saying ‘no,’” says NAEA. “Abstinence-centered and holistic, the SRA strategy offers skill-building topics such as goal setting and future orientation, healthy decision making, building assets, avoiding negative peer pressure, and human development.”

The sexual risk reduction (SRR) model, however, NAEA states, “is built on the premise that teens either cannot, or will not, abstain from sex; therefore they must learn to take ‘precautions’ that will decrease their risk of becoming pregnant,” or becoming infected with an STD.

Via: Breitbart

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Congress could vote on Trade Promotion Authority as a stand alone bill as soon as Thursday

Congress could vote on Trade Promotion Authority as a stand alone bill as soon as Thursday, congressional sources tell the Associated Press.

The new plan under consideration would have the House vote on TPA — which would grant President Obama fast-track authority to negotiate trade deals — separately from the Trade Adjustment Assistance provision rejected last week.

The decision to split up the bills comes as House Republican leaders and the White House attempt to figure out a way to pass “fast-track” in the face of diverse opposition. As the APreports:

Now Obama and his allies are considering something they had desperately hoped to avoid: revisiting trade legislation in the Senate, possibly after the House votes on a simplified fast track bill. It would give Senate opponents another chance to strangle the legislation with costly delays and other tactics.

According to The Hill, White House spokesman Josh Earnest did not express opposition to the move, merely stating that both TPA and TAA should be passed.

“The only legislative strategy the president can support is one that will result in both pieces of legislation arriving at his desk,” The Hill quoted Earnest.

The Hill noted that Earnest also did not offer an opinion on whether the bills should arrive at Obama’s desk as a package or stand alone bills.

“There is also this fundamental question … about whether or not they need to arrive at the same time, on the same day, as part of the same legislative vehicle or separately — that’s exactly what’s being discussed on Capitol Hill right now,” The Hill quoted Earnest.

The push for fast-track authority comes as the Obama administration hopes to advance 

Via: Breitbart

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House GOPers demand IRS investigate Clinton Foundation

House Republicans on Tuesday demanded the IRS open an investigation into the Clinton Foundation’s tax-exempt status, questioning whether the organization has broken faith with its charitable mission by hiding some donations.

The foundation, associated with former President Bill Clinton, his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, and their daughter, has been in the news as Mrs. Clinton’s campaign ramps up.

Foundation officials have admitted they made an “error” in inaccurately reporting certain types of grants, and have had to correct their filings.

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SEE ALSO: STOP THE PRESSES! HILLARY TAKES QUESTIONS! (WELL, 2)

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“Media reports containing specific allegations have cast a cloud over the Clinton Foundation and call into question whether it is acting within the scope of its charitable mission for which it was originally granted tax-exempt status,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican, who led the letter, signed by 51 other House lawmakers.

The letter was to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, and accused the foundation of using “the cloak of philanthropy” to facilitate major business deals for Clinton pals — including during the time Mrs. Clinton was secretary of state in the Obama administration.

The Clinton Foundation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Via: Washington Times
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Michelle’s meals turn off the kids

More than a million kids confronted by healthier school lunches are turning up their noses, leaving the cafeteria and heading out to get a burger instead.

The difficulty in getting students to eat lower-fat, lower-sodium meals is at the center of a food fight between House Republicans and first lady Michelle Obama that erupted this week.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, supported by President Obama, requires lunch programs that receive federal dollars to provide healthier meals. The new standards began to go into effect in 2012.

Childhood obesity has spiraled in recent decades, and the first lady has made the fight against it a signature issue. Democrats say stemming the epidemic will cut healthcare costs and keep the armed forces functioning.

But Agriculture Department statistics show the number of school children in the National School Lunch Program dropped from 31.8 million in 2011 to 30.7 million in 2013.

School boards are asking Congress to allow schools to opt out. Some schools are raiding their teaching budgets to cover the costs of mounds of wasted fruits and vegetables, Lucy Gettman of the National School Boards Association said.

“Every school is probably impacted a little bit differently ... there isn’t comprehensive data available,” she said. She noted that one school district in Alaska reported having to transfer $135,000 from its education budget to meet the new requirements — and that the incident was far from unique.

Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association, which represents nonprofit lunch providers in the National School Lunch program, said data show 1,445 schools have dropped out of the program since the standards went into effect as costs mount.

Lawmakers acted this week. A House spending bill approved by a subcommittee on Tuesday would force the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to give a temporary waiver to school lunch programs that can show they were operating at a net loss for the last six months. That provision is supported by the National School Boards Association, as well as the School Nutrition Association. They also support other efforts, including a bill by Rep. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) to stop imposition of more stringent standards coming down the pike.

Via: The Hill

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House Dems to use longshot tactic to force votes, tarnish GOP in midterms

FILE: Dec. 12, 2013: House Minority Leader, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.AP

House Democrats are vowing to try a rarely used tactic to force votes in the GOP-led chamber on the minimum wage and immigration reform, a strategy that will likely fail but might hurt Republicans with voters in this year’s elections.

The tactic is known as a “discharge petition." It would require the minority party, in this case Democrats, to persuade roughly two dozen Republicans to defy their leadership and join Democrats in forcing a vote on setting the federal minimum wage at $10.10 an hour.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said fellow chamber Democrats will push the issue when Congress returns from its break Feb. 24.

The attempt to force a vote on a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws could occur in a few months.

Democrats think that a majority of Americans support both issues and that attempting to use the discharge petition will at least portray House Republicans as the obstacle to their success.

However, the discharge petition rarely works.

Via: Fox News

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Ted Yoho Tells Of Republican Plan To Impeach Eric Holder

A group of House Republicans plan an effort to oust Attorney General Eric Holder by year's end, Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) told the Gainesville Sun.

“It’s to get him out of office -- impeachment,” said Yoho, who was a large-animal veterinarian before winning election last year. “It will probably be when we get back in [Washington]. It will be before the end of the year. This will go to the speaker and the speaker will decide if it comes up or not.”

Yoho's chief of staff, Cat Cammack, said the congressman wants Holder fired for issues that include the Fast and Furious sting operation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that left federal agents' weapons in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. One of the guns was found at the 2010 scene of a Border Patrol agent's killing.

"Obviously there is a lot frustration with our attorney general. You can name the botched programs," Cammack said. "Fast and Furious has been one of the number one complaints we get in our office and why no one has been held accountable."

Yoho told the Sun that he and his House cohorts have plans to meet with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) when they return to the Capitol.

The House may begin impeachment against a cabinet member, but it's only been done once before, reports Politico. The House impeached Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 over corruption allegations. Belknap resigned his post and the Senate acquitted him.

Via: Huffington Post

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Obama approval drops nine points among Hispanics

President Obama's approval rating among Hispanics has dropped below 50 percent -- losing nine points in a week, according to a newGallup poll released on Tuesday.

The president enjoyed a 58-percent rating during the week of Oct. 21, in which he signaled a new push on immigration reform and blamed House Republicans for failing to act on the comprehensive immigration bill passed by the Senate in June.

But Obama's approval rating fell to 49 percent in the following week.

Obama came under fire the past week due to a wave of private insurance cancellations and technical problems with the Obamacare website.

That marks the lowest approval rating for Obama among Hispanics in the Gallup weekly approval rating poll since the week of Dec. 26, 2011, to Jan. 1, 2012, when he earned a 46-percent favorable rating.

His approval rating soared to the high seventies in the spring of 2013 as the Senate worked to pass a comprehensive immigration bill.

Via: Washington Examiner

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House leaves for two weeks, GOP promises Obamacare scrutiny on return

House Republicans on Thursday began a nearly two-week recess as they sought to solidify their political standing at home and clear the way for intense public scrutiny of Obamacare’s troubled rollout.

Still smarting from a politically damaging government shutdown that hogged the spotlight and obscured problems with the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans have deliberately shifted strategies. Rather than instigate high-stakes, politically risky confrontations with President Obama, they have embraced a more traditional, low-key approach that focuses on achieving incremental conservative reforms. This legislative strategy has a second, equally important purpose: It’s unlikely to distract from the GOP's aggressive investigation into Obamacare’s error-plagued implementation.

“People are focused on how bad Obamacare is. There’s no sense in putting up hyperpartisan bills that take attention away from that,” a senior Republican House aide told the Washington Examiner.

Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., described the reoriented House GOP game plan this way: “In many respects, what I would characterize this period as is ... getting back to governing.”

Since the 16-day government shutdown ended on Oct. 17, House Republicans have passed a collection of largely noncontroversial bills like the Retail Investor Protection Act and the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013, among others. None were crafted with an eye toward grabbing headlines and none are the sort that fuel a political movement. But for Republicans, that’s by design.

During the shutdown, public polls showed that voters soured on the Republican Party in part because they viewed the GOP as putting ideology ahead of governing. Because they run the House, Republicans have a responsibility for some of the mundane aspects of running the government, and they have attempted late this month to satisfy that charge while using it as a vehicle to enact conservative reforms that might attract bipartisan support.

Via: Washington Examiner

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