Posted on 02/15/2011 4:06:52 AM PST by tobyhill
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and defenders of the health care reform law unearthed an unexpected and temporary ally Monday night: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC).
Politics makes strange bedfellows. But few bunking arrangements are stranger than this.
To be clear, there aren't many in Congress who have more antipathy for the health care law than Foxx. In fact, at a meeting of the House Rules Committee Monday night, Foxx could barely hide her contempt for the health law.
"It is an abomination that this bill was passed," scoffed Foxx.
But for a few moments, Foxx, and all seven of her Republican colleagues on the Rules Committee formed a short-term vanguard to preserve the touchstone of the Democrats' legislative agenda last year.
Here's what's going on:
On Tuesday, the House plans to debate a bill to fund the government through September. Republicans aim to use the measure to pare at least $100 billion in spending out of this year's budget.
There is no provision more onerous to conservatives than the health law. So if the GOP is set to cut spending, why not shave the money set aside to implement the health law, too?
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) planned to do just that, which would in turn cripple all government operations devoted to executing the health law. In other words, if there's no money, the government can't carry out the policy.
And that's when King ran into a buzz saw run by Virginia Foxx and the rest of the Republicans on the House Rules Committee.
All of those Republicans want to upend the health care law just as much as King does. But not at the expense of corrupting House rules that govern how to handle the spending measure on the floor.
(Excerpt) Read more at politics.blogs.foxnews.com ...
How about one wrong vs. thousands of wrongs from the past four years? Would that be okay?
Your comment describes exactly why we continue to lose the battle. If it takes one wrong to stop the communism, I'm all for it!
The Courts have ruled this healthcare monstrosity unConstitutional.
This should be the one and only argument used to defund this "obamanation."
Called Boehner’s office this morning in addition to my congressman who is against funding ObotulismCare. Go raise hell.
The absolute stupidity of the rules committee is astounding. Could they be anymore willfully ignorant?
You can't fund what has been ruled unConstitutional. It can't even be in the budget bill.
It is DOA.
It has been ruled on by the courts as illegal. It can’t even be in the budget bill.
Placing it in the budget bill and passing the bill essentially passes the legislation again.
Indeed they have been sent there with this as the most important piece of business to be dealt with. Speaker Boehner might well give up his post if he can’t at least handle a large majority as well as Pelosi did. I wrote specifically to Boehner, Foxx and the Rules Committee and then sent Boehner’s note (included here) to each of the COS of most Representives. If any one would like to have CSV files of these addresses, let me know in some private way.
Let’s flood the offices. Spread this out on the net.
(Dear Speaker Boehner:
I was shocked to hear today that YOU are considering moving a Continuing Resolution under current house rules. I know that you are aware that this in essence gives Nancy Pelosi, under whom the current Continuing Resolution was forced upon us, control of the budget for the first year of the term in which Republicans hold a sizeable majority. I pray that I will hear rapidly from your office that this is a scurrilous untruth.
The news reports that YOU refuse to allow the amendment rules to be changed so that Obamacare, which now has been found to be UNCONSTITUTIONAL in its entirety, can be defunded. The reason given was that Ms. Pelosi had done that and YOU wish to play on a higher spiritual plane. Changing the rule, even for a short time, is legitimate! Your false display of “better than thou” only suggests that YOU are not up to the task of Speaker, IF this is the case.
Of course this then begs the question of how do you intend to introduce amendments to reduce the spending in this current year by $100 Billion, without changing the rule? You and the republicans that we worked so hard to elect are doing an OBAMA - you have reneged on your campaign promises.
I urge you, even at the risk of Government Shutdown, that you show the courage to do what you promised and were elected to do. Pass the amendment to the rule AND pass the Continuing Resolution for a TW0 month period with the amendment to the resolution to defund OBAMACARE.
If this be true, I am much disappointed in YOU personally and the Republicans that supported this point of view. If the news is faulty, leading to a misunderstanding, then I apologize and offer continuing support.
Show me by DEEDS and not only WORDS.)
Let us hold their feet to the fire as the next primary is only 21 months away and our memory is at least as good as that.
The GOP is trying to bamboozle us again by claiming that because of the House rules they must fund Obamacare and then when they get called out on it they use the rules as a convenient excuse despite the Courts already ruling it unconstitutional.
Rep. Virginia Foxx:
Phone: (202) 225-2071
Fax: (202) 225-2995
District offices:
Clemmons, NC
Phone: (336) 778-0211
Toll Free: 1-(866) 677-8968
Fax: (336) 778-2290
Boone, NC
Phone: (828) 265-0240
Fax: (828) 265-0390
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