Who Is Responsible?

[Tim Lintz]

Who Is Responsible?

There is talk in the news about defunding the Affordable Care Act, and saying this will cause the shutdown of the Federal Government.  When I look at the facts I see it differently. The talk about shutting down the government is coming from the Obama administration and Harry Reid in order to blame the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

As I examine the facts, here is what I see.

According to the United States Constitution, Article I, Sections 7, 8 and 9, respectively, states the “power of the purse” resides solely with the US House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives does not want to fund Obamacare because the cost coming out of the pockets of the American people will be excessive.  The House proposes to fully fund the Federal Government, devoid of any funding for the Affordable Care Act.

In order to make this happen, both the House & Senate are proposing a Continuing Resolution to fund the entire Federal Government, except for Obamacare.  The continuing resolution in the House (HR2682) and Senate (S1292) both explicitly prohibit mandatory and discretionary Obamacare spending.

 If this passes in the House, it will then go to the Senate as a Continuing Resolution that fully funds the government, without funding Obamacare. Senate Republicans should ensure that no Continuing Resolution providing Obamacare funding is signed into law.  If Republicans do this, President Obama and Harry Reid will falsely accuse Republicans of causing a government shutdown.  Only Obama can control whether to shut down the   Federal Government just to implement their failed law.

Whether fiscally responsible Republicans fund government devoid of Obamacare or not, Progressives and Democrats – including their partners  in the mainstream media – are going to blame the GOP for any and all push back on the budget, the debt ceiling and the implementation of Obamacare.   If the Republican’s in the House achieve their goal for defunding Obamacare,  the media and Harry Reid will once again yell the Republican’s are the “party of no”.

In reality, the only way that bills from the House get brought to the floor of the Senate to be voted on is if the Chairman of the Senate, Harry Reed, allows them to be brought to the floor.  There are over 200 bills passed by the House over the past few years sitting in the Senate that Harry Reed has not allowed to be heard on the floor.  Most of these bills are dealing with ways to help our country’s economy get better.  Let me ask you, which party really will shut down the government, and which party really is the “party of no”?

Tim Lintz

Elba Township

810-834-9428