The House moved closer to giving the Senate filibuster-proof bills that repeal Obamacare.
The Education and Workforce Committee on Wednesday advanced by a 22-15 vote a bill that strips Obamacare’s auto-enrollment mandate. The Affordable Care Act requires employers with 200 or more full-time employees to automatically enroll new employees in healthcare coverage, which the committee says creates unnecessary confusion.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee, meanwhile, is considering a bill that strips $500 million in annual funding to Planned Parenthood,and eliminates a public health fund Republicans complain they have no control over.
On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee passed a bill that repeals Obamacare’s employer and individual mandates and various taxes.
If the House Energy and Commerce bill gets approved, it would join the two other bills and get packaged together by the House Budget Committee to go to the House floor. It has a good chance as a package as the House has voted to repeal Obamacare 60 times, but President Obama is sure to veto it if it reaches his desk.
The package is crafted so that the Senate could approve it through a simple 51-vote majority and not be forced to garner 60 votes to break a filibuster. A process called budget reconciliation allows the Senate to do this if a bill helps meeting budgetary spending levels.
Budget reconciliation was used by Democrats to clear part of Obamacare back in 2010.
While the GOP won control of the Senate in the last election, it has only a 54-seat majority. That means Democrats can stymie legislation through a filibuster unless Republicans can get another six votes to stop it.
House Democrats complained that the reconciliation effort is “just another attempt to bring back this ragged [repeal] bill back with no alternative,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.
Republicans on the committee countered that their reconciliation bill doesn’t repeal Obamacare.
“No one wanting or needing enrollment is denied under this measure should it pass,” said Rep. Steve Russell, R-Okla., during the House Education and Workforce hearing. “Everyone can absolutely enroll in the program without prohibition. Those not needing enrollment would not be forced to enroll.”
Democrats shot back that the bill eventually will be part of the legislative package that does gut the healthcare law.
“We are here today not to address the budget challenges but to attack the Affordable Care Act,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.
