Sen. David Vitter is reviving an effort to eliminate a policy that exempts federal workers from enrolling in Obamacare in a move that could stop an energy-efficiency bill from being approved.
The Louisiana Republican has sought to end an Obama administration change to the Affordable Care Act that would allow Capitol Hill employees to keep their current benefits rather than go to the federal exchanges. He is going at it again after attempting to force a vote last year as an amendment to energy-efficiency legislation, prompting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to pull the bill.
“I think the [Office of Personnel and Management] rule is flat-out contrary to law, and I think we should actually follow the law. It’s pretty simple,” Vitter told reporters in the Capitol. “I’m going to try to advance it in any way that I can.”
Vitter’s Obamacare amendment threw similar legislation from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, off track in September 2013. The pair of senators have tried for more than three years to get their bill passed.
Shaheen hopes to file a slimmed-down version of the bill, which already has passed the House, under a maneuver that would allow it to pass if no senators object, said Shripal Shah, a spokesman for Shaheen.
But Vitter might object to that maneuver to give him the option of attaching his measure to the energy bill. It’s doubtful Reid would then put the energy-efficiency bill on the floor given the chance of it getting bogged down in a fight just as lawmakers look to flee Washington at the end of the week.
“The House passed this bill with 375 bipartisan votes because it’s a smart, non-controversial bill that will save taxpayers money and reduce pollution,” Shah said in an email. “Senator Shaheen is hoping people can put partisanship aside to get this legislation through the Senate and to the President for his signature.”
The energy-efficiency bill encourages efficiency upgrades at buildings and homes, as well as within the federal government. It mirrors House legislation co-sponsored by Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and David McKinley, R-W.Va.
It’s not as comprehensive as the version that reached the Senate floor last year and nearly resurfaced for a vote again in May. That’s when negotiations surrounding amendments and a standalone bill on whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline crashed and killed the effort.
