Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:42 pm
Republicans on the House Rules Committee behaved like common criminals as they advanced the lawsuit against President Obama while voting down every amendment related to disclosing the cost of the lawsuit.
By a party line vote of 7-4, the House Rules Committee voted to move forward with John Boehner’s lawsuit against President Obama, but the committee voted down 11 Democratic amendments that would have required them to be transparent about the lawsuit.
Here is a list of all of the Democratic amendments that were voted down by the Republicans on the Rules Committee:
1. Every week, require the House’s General Counsel to disclose how much has been spent on the lawsuit.
2a. Prohibit the hiring of any law firms or consultants who lobby Congress, because if they lobby Congress for a living, Congress should not also be paying them.
2b. Prohibit the hiring of any law firm or consultants who lobby on Affordable Care Act implementation or who have any financial stake in implementation of the Affordable Care Act, because it would be a conflict of interest.
3. Require disclosure of all contracts with lawyers and consultants 10 days before they are approved.
4. Require disclosure of where the taxpayer money paying for the lawsuit is coming from, and which programs and offices’ budgets are being reduced to pay for it. .
5. Require that the House’s lawyers explain to Members of the House the likelihood of success in this lawsuit, and how they think they will overcome the legal obstacles presented by Supreme Court precedent that says these sorts of cases can’t even be considered.
6. Ensure that this lawsuit does not seek to prevent implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s provisions relating to: (1) young adult coverage; (2) benefits for women; (3) protections for pre-existing conditions; (4) small business tax credits; or (5) prescription discounts for seniors that close the “donut hole” in Medicare.
7. Ensure that this lawsuit does not target people in the military, veterans, or civil servants, any one of whom would experience significant burdens and likely rack up large legal bills defending themselves in court.
9. Require the Speaker to pay for this lawsuit using money from the budget of the Benghazi Select Committee.
11. Require the House to bring up, debate, and vote on bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform.
12. Delete the language allowing the suit to be about “any other provision of law” related to the Affordable Care Act, which was added at the last minute and makes the lawsuit authority much broader.
Ranking Member of the Rules Committee, Rep. Louise Slaughter said, “We’re trying to stop this political stunt. There is nothing to be gained here. Money will be spent. All we are trying to do – we know that you have the votes to pass this, and you’re going to go on with the dance – but what we’re trying to do is at least amend it so that we can give some modicum of belief to the people of the United States that we’re trying to protect their interests, that we are not up here playing a game.”
House Democratic Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi said in a statement, “It is clear that Republicans will do anything to distract attention from their special-interest agenda of obstruction and dysfunction. While Democrats work to jumpstart the middle class, Republicans are wasting time and taxpayer dollars on another hypocritical, partisan and preposterous lawsuit against the President. This lawsuit is only the latest proof of House Republicans’ contempt and disregard for the priorities of the American people – an effort to pander to the most extreme, rightwing voters at taxpayer expense, the same as when they spent $2.3 million defending the unconstitutional and discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act in the courts.”
DCCC Chairman Rep. Steve Israel said, “Today couldn’t provide a more vivid contrast of priorities. While House Republicans are focused on suing the President in a partisan stunt to strengthen their base, House Democrats are fighting for solutions to strengthen the middle class. Instead of focusing on taxpayer-funded witch-hunts and lawsuits we should be passing the Middle Class Jumpstart agenda.”
The question is why are Republicans not being honest with taxpayers? Why are they hiding the cost of this lawsuit from the people who will be paying for it? House Republicans are acting like common criminals on the transparency issue as it relates to this lawsuit, because they are afraid of the political backlash that will come after taxpayers find out that millions of dollars are being wasted on this lawsuit.
This is the House Republican way. They voted to move forward with a lawsuit against President Obama while rejecting any attempt to keep taxpayers informed about the cost. The Boehner lawsuit is already turning into an anchor around the necks of House Republicans. What began as a cheap gimmick to get out the Republican vote has turned into a Democratic agenda setting multi-million dollar boondoggle for taxpayers.
House Republicans continue to set themselves up for major problems down the road. This lawsuit isn’t going to be forgotten by Democrats, and Republicans can expect the questions about how much all of this is costing to dog them through the fall. The best way to stop the pseudo criminal behavior of House Republicans is to vote them out this November.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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