[VIDEO] Sebelius: Possible for convicted felons to become Obamacare navigators

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Sec. Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged Wednesday that it would be possible for a convicted felon to become an Obamacare navigator — one of the workers responsible for helping people deal with the ins and outs of the healthcare law.

“Isn’t it true there is no federal requirement for navigators to undergo a criminal background check, even though they will receive personal information from the individuals they help to sign-up up for the Affordable Care Act?” asked Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn at a Senate Finance Committee hearing at which Sebelius was testifying.

“That is true,” Sebelius replied. “States could have an additional background check and other features, but it is not part of the federal requirement.”

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“So a convicted felon could be a navigator and acquire sensitive personal information?” Cornyn asked.

“That is possible,” Sebelius acknowledged. “We have contracts with organizations and they have taken the responsibility to screen the individual navigators and make sure they are sufficiently trained for the job.”

Asked by Georgia Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson if they would be open to a federal requirement for background checks, Sebelius said it was up to congress, but that they would certainly look at it.

Via: Daily Caller

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White House says bill to pay military death benefits 'not necessary,' senator blasts Obama

WASHINGTON –  The White House signaled Thursday that President Obama might not sign a bill to pay death benefits to the families of fallen soldiers, leading a top Republican senator to allege the president has hit a "new low." 

The Senate approved the bill Thursday afternoon, after it cleared the House a day earlier. The bill would reinstate the $100,000 "death gratuity" payments to military families, as well as resume funeral and burial expenses -- after funding was suspended as a consequence of the partial government shutdown. 

But White House Press Secretary Jay Carney claimed the bill was "not necessary," noting that charity group The Fisher House Foundation had just entered into an agreement with the Pentagon a day earlier to provide the benefits in the short-term. 

"The legislation is not necessary," Carney said, adding that the Defense Department has already agreed to reimburse the Fisher House. 

"It does mean that we don't need legislation," Carney said, without explicitly saying Obama would reject the bill. 

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who pushed the bill in the Senate, blasted the White House over the response. 

Via: Fox News

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Sen. Cornyn: Obama Is Not 'King'

Sen. John Cornyn criticized President Barack Obama on Sunday for failing to do his job and negotiate with Congress to reopen the government in a sharp reminder that a monarch does not rule the U.S.

"The president has got to lead, and he's got to do his job," Cornyn told CBS's "Face the Nation."

"We rejected the concept of a king when our country was founded, and created three co-equal branches of government," Cornyn said.

"Now he says he won't negotiate on the debt, but what he needs to do is roll up his sleeves and get to the table," Cornyn said.

CBS host Bob Schieffer also interviewed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and said the two sides did not appear to be negotiating, but talking past each other.

House Speaker John Boehner insists there are not enough votes to reopen the government without concessions from Senate Democrats and the White House on changes to Obamacare, while Lew insists the votes are there.

"Why doesn't he put it on the floor and give it a chance?" Lew said.

Via: Newsmax

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Thousands of Troops May Not Get to Vote

Thousands of military personnel may not get to vote in the presidential election because ballots have been delayed in reaching military voters stationed overseas, according to Republican lawmakers angry over what they call a “serious failure” of the Dept. of Defense to safeguard the voting rights of the military.

Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX) said thousands of military voters could be disenfranchised as a result of the DoD’s failure to modernize its system of getting ballots to troops.

“DoD’s failure to fix this longstanding problem means that the blank ballots of thousands of overseas service members, as well as some who have recently returned from overseas, could be currently trapped in an archaic and inefficient mail forwarding system,” Cornyn wrote in a letter to Sec. of Defense Leon Panetta. “These ballots are unlikely to reach these service members until after Election Day has passed.”

Via: Fox News Radio

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