Policy Papers
Currently showing results in the 113th Congress. See all results
Administration Puts HealthCare.gov Enrollees at Risk
Last year the Obama administration put Americans at risk as it ignored numerous warnings about the readiness of HealthCare.gov. Its decision to go ahead with the website caused confusion and frustration at the same time Obamacare was causing people to lose their insurance. This year, the administration has created another large risk for federal exchange enrollees. It’s been providing potentially unlawful tax credits for people to buy insurance in states with federal exchanges. The Supreme... Continue Reading
December 16, 2014
Abusing the Lame Duck
This week, in the last days of the 113th Congress, the Senate is considering a series of nominations. None of these nominees are essential to keep the government running. The Senate could be using this week to debate important tax and spending issues, including matters that actually have a deadline or could help to create American jobs. A Moment of Scrutiny, a Lifetime Appointment Majority Leader Reid’s decision to proceed with the confirmation of a dozen nominations to the federal... Continue Reading
December 10, 2014
FCC Has a Full Plate at Tomorrow’s Meeting
On Thursday morning, the FCC will meet to consider and discuss several subjects. Most notably, the agenda will include: Modernizing the E-rate program for schools and libraries; Connect America Fund report and order; and Broadcast incentive auction public notice. These items affect millions of Americans and will require billions of dollars to implement. E-rate Proposal Fails to Modernize Program and Eliminate Inefficiencies E-rate, the federal government’s initiative to connect schools... Continue Reading
December 9, 2014
December 2014 Policy by the Numbers
The key number for December is 54. Following Saturday’s runoff election in Louisiana, Congressman Bill Cassidy brought the total number of Republican Senators in the 114th Congress to 54. Other recent numbers that also have major policy implications. Continue Reading
December 9, 2014
Obamacare Bad for People, Good for Insurers
It’s been clear for some time that Obamacare has failed to deliver on the president’s key promises – including that family premiums would drop by $2,500 per year, and people would not lose their insurance. The law is failing America’s families on many other promises as well. New evidence shows that insurance market concentration has increased and that more Americans than ever are foregoing medical treatment because of the high out-of-pocket cost. While American families... Continue Reading
December 9, 2014
Closing Out the 113th Congress
Before the end of the year, the Senate must take up three important bills to deal with hard deadlines. These include a continuing resolution to fund the government beyond the current deadline of December 11; authorization for continued defense spending; and legislation to extend expiring tax provisions. Omnibus/Continuing Resolution The central issue of the omnibus/CR revolves around proposals to use the appropriations process to stop the president’s executive actions on immigration. The... Continue Reading
December 5, 2014
November 2014 Jobs Report
Unemployment Rate: 5.8 percent Unemployed Americans: 9.1 million Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent for November, unchanged from October. It reported an increase of 321,000 nonfarm jobs over last month. Of this figure, 314,000 were jobs created in the private sector. Employment for September was revised upward from 256,000 to 271,000 jobs created, and October was revised up from 214,000 to 243,000. The... Continue Reading
December 2, 2014
December 2014 Policy Calendar
December 2, 2014
End Obamacare’s Insurance Company Bailout
Hidden in section 1342 of the president’s health care law is a potential taxpayer-financed bailout of insurance companies – the so-called risk corridor program. The risk corridor provision was designed to transfer money from insurers that earned “excess” profits on Obamacare plans to insurers that incurred excess losses on these plans. However, if total excess losses exceeded total excess profits, the law put taxpayers on the hook to cover the shortfall. Last summer,... Continue Reading
December 2, 2014
Congress Must Strengthen Iran Sanctions
At the beginning of this year, President Obama promised the American people in his State of the Union address that he would be “the first to call for more sanctions” if Iran failed to complete an agreement on its illicit nuclear program. Instead, he has once again extended relief from certain sanctions. It is time for President Obama to implement his own stated policy. Never-ending negotiations over Iran’s illicit nuclear program Extension breaks the president’s... Continue Reading
December 2, 2014
Obama Unleashes Most Expensive Regulation Ever
On the day before Thanksgiving, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new 626-page (plus a 575-page appendix) ground-level ozone standard of 65 to 70 parts per billion. This would be down from 75 ppb established in 2008 by the Bush administration. EPA estimates that a 65 ppb standard would impose costs of $15 billion per year on the nation (except California) in 2025, and $1.6 billion per year on California after 2025. The National Association of Manufacturers warns, “This new... Continue Reading
November 21, 2014
Obama Ignores the Law and the American People
After years of disclaiming authority to do so, and failing to work with Congress to come to a legislative solution, last night President Obama announced unilateral action on immigration. The more controversial aspects of the president’s plan include: Expand deferred action for young illegal immigrants. In June 2012, the president deferred prosecution for illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. before June 2007 and were under age 31 as of June 2012. The expansion would cover anyone who... Continue Reading
November 20, 2014
Democrats Block Keystone XL Pipeline Again
On Tuesday, Democrats blocked legislation introduced by Senator John Hoeven in the Senate and Rep. Bill Cassidy in the House to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Senate Democrats were on the verge of passing serious, common-sense, bipartisan policy for the first time in recent memory. At the last moment, they chose to deny the country an opportunity for energy security and economic growth. The American people rejected this brand of politics on November 4th. Republicans will end it starting on... Continue Reading
November 20, 2014
Obamacare Architect Confirms Obamacare Deceit
Recently, videos have surfaced showing that Obamacare was deliberately crafted in a way to obscure its costs and contents from the American public. In the videos, recorded in 2012 and 2013, economist Jonathan Gruber, a key Obama administration advisor and one of the law’s chief architects, demonstrated what the administration and congressional Democrats were actually thinking, as opposed to what they were saying publicly. Gruber Was a Chief Architect of Obamacare Gruber joined the Obama... Continue Reading
November 18, 2014
Obamacare Premiums Increase Again
Many Americans purchasing Obamacare-compliant health insurance plans will pay significantly higher premiums next year for coverage that generally carries large deductibles and has narrow provider networks. The high premium and high deductible combination likely contributed to the administration’s decision to wait until just before open enrollment, and after election day, to publicize the rates. These premium increases are on top of last year’s average increase of nearly 50 percent... Continue Reading
November 13, 2014
Supreme Court Takes on Obamacare Again
The Supreme Court recently announced that it will hear another challenge to Obamacare: King v. Burwell. This time, the court will decide whether the health care law should be implemented as written by Congress or implemented as interpreted by the Obama administration. The law allowed states to establish a health insurance exchange that met specific requirements. It also authorized health insurance subsidies for certain people purchasing coverage in state-established exchanges, but not in the... Continue Reading
November 13, 2014
Defense Authorization Needs an Open Process
During the Obama presidency, the Senate has passed a defense authorization bill before the start of the fiscal year only one time. Twice in the last four years Senators were denied their right to amend legislation when Majority Leader Reid blocked an open amendment process for the defense authorization bill. Fiscal Year Date SASC version of bill passed Amendment votes 2010 (S. 1390) July 23, 2009 11 2011 (S. 3454) SASC-reported bill never considered, motion to proceed rejected when Reid... Continue Reading
November 7, 2014
Unemployment Report for October 2014
Unemployment Rate: 5.8 percent Unemployed Americans: 9.0 million Employment and Unemployment The Department of Labor reported an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent for October 2014, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point. It reported an increase of 214,000 nonfarm jobs over last month. This is lower than anticipated job growth of 233,000 for last month. Employment for August was... Continue Reading
October 28, 2014
Obamacare Causing Major Harm in North Carolina
Last week, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina announced that it is raising rates an average of 13.5 percent on its Obamacare plans for 2015 – an increase of nearly $700 for a 45-year old. BCBS is the state’s largest health insurer, enrolling nearly three-quarters of state exchange enrollees, and the only one offering coverage throughout the entire state. These premium hikes are on top of very large rate increases in 2014, when average premiums soared by 136 percent for North... Continue Reading
October 7, 2014
Obamacare’s Problematic Subsidies
In selling his health care law to the American people, President Obama made a series of promises – which he subsequently broke. For example, the president repeatedly declared that Obamacare would lower health care costs for the typical family by $2,500. At a time of heightened financial anxiety, many Americans were attracted to a plan that purported to lower costs. Despite the president’s stump speech promises, Obamacare was never designed to lower health care costs for the average... Continue Reading