Minority Leaders In House And Senate Fight Obama’s Health Care Agenda

By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service

The minority leaders in the Senate and the House of Representatives—Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and John Boehner (R-Ohio) respectively—sought to preemptively counter an address set to be delivered by President Obama on health care reform Wednesday evening.

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Rep. Boehner warned that Obama will “repeat some of the myths that he’s been repeating over the last several months.” He said that Obama will claim that the reform proposal will reduce costs, keep the deficit from rising, and allow Americans to keep their current health care plan.

The House Majority Leader cited a report recently released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to combat these arguments. He said that the plan will spend 1.6 trillion dollars in costs, increase the deficit by $239 billion, and give employers the incentive to move millions of Americans from private to public coverage.

Senator McConnell criticized a meeting that occurred yesterday between President Obama and CBO Director Doug Elmendorf. He said that the CBO should remain free of political pressures, and likened the meeting to “the owner of the team asking the umpires to come up to the owner’s box.”

The Republican leaders rejected the idea that their opposition is inspired by political attacks on President Obama. “This is not about the President,” said McConnell. “This is about the issue, and taking the time to get it right. He said that the President criticizes “unnamed” opponents of health care reform, adding“I can’t find a single member who is not for trying to improve America’s health care system."

McConnell said that health care reform should take place on a “large bipartisan basis,” and mentioned some plans to cut costs, including preventing frivolous malpractice suits and encouraging Americans to lead healthier lives. He said that the high numbers of uninsured Americans could be reduced by equalizing tax treatment of individuals and corporations, since only companies receive deductibles by providing health insurance.

Boehner stated that the President should “scrap” the plan proffered by the House Democrats, and that negotiations should begin anew and include both parties.

Energy, Health Care Bills Will Kill Jobs, Hurt Economy Say House GOP'ers

By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service

The energy and health care proposals currently being debated in Congress will be disastrous for the economy, House Republicans said at a press conference Tuesday. Speaking following the weekly House Republican conference, Rep. Mike Pence (R - Ind.) said that the Democrats seem determined to try and pass their bills despite the negative impact they'll have on an already challenged economy. If it were to pass, the American Clean Energy Act and the Democrats' health care plan would be a "disaster for this economy and a disaster for working Americans" he said.

"House Republicans are determined to step forward and demand that this Congress focus on putting this country back on its feet," Pence added.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that there is a strong bi-partisan coalition opposing the current health care proposals.

"Either this bill fails or it changes dramatically," Cantor said. "If the bill fails it will be because of disagreement among the Democrats as to the proper direction to head as far as health care reform is concerned."

"This administration, this President has no one else to blame," he added. "What they ought to be doing is coming to work with us in order to reflect a much more reasoned approach to try and accomplish health care for the American people."

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) said that the "President is going to begin his barnstorming" on bills that will kill jobs.

"The stimulus bill isnt working, they bring along this health care bill that will cost 5 million jobs, and they bring this cap and trade bill up last month that will cost us 2.5 million jobs each year for the next ten years. This is not what the American people want."

Boehner called on President Obama to abandon current health care proposals and negotiate with Republicans in order to achieve economically feasible health care reform.

"Mr President, it's time to scrap this bill. It's time to start working in a bi-partisan way," he said.

Dem Health Care Plan A "Faustian Web Of Bureaucracy," Say GOP'ers

By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service

The Democratic health care plan will hurt the nation's economy as well as its health care system said House GOP leaders Wednesday. The Republicans spoke at a press conference during which they unveiled their visual representation of the Democrats' reform bill.

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that the Democrats' plan would worsen the current recession by destroying jobs as well as restricting Americans' options on health care.

"What this is going to do is ration care, limit the choices that patients and doctors have and really decrease the quality of the health care system." Boehner said. "If this isn't bad enough think about the giant increase in taxes that comes as a result of this, killing more jobs in America."

The Republicans also released a chart designed to make Americans skeptical of the Democrats' plan. The chart depicted thirty one new federal programs, agencies, commissions and mandates that would be created by the Democrats' plan. Such added bureaucracy would "get in between the patient and their health care provider," argued Rep. Kevin Brady (R- Texas.).



"The American people are asking how will all this will work, and today they get the first peek at how a government take over of health care would affect them." Brady said. "Why would any patient be forced to hand over control of their health care decisions over to this Faustian web of Washington Bureaucracy?"

Boehner asserted that the economy would suffer greatly if the bill is rushed through, arguing that the American public should view the plan for at least 72 hours so that they will know what's "in store for them."

"It's clear who is paying for this plan, and it is the small business men and women" Boehner said.

"It might make for a lovely board game but it makes for horrible health care system" said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R- Mich.). "I would hope that [the Democrats] reconsider, focus on the economy, stop the insanity and start creating jobs."

Boehner Rejects White House's Notion That Stimulus Has Worked

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Thursday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) slammed Vice President Joe Biden over the inefficiency of the Democrats’ stimulus plan and the lack of jobs it has created in Boehner's home state of Ohio.

“Ohio's unemployment rate is above 10 percent. The nation's unemployment continues to rise. And families and small businesses across the country are asking, ‘Mr. Vice President, where are the jobs?’,” Boehner said.

Boehner blamed the Obama administration for its inability to restore jobs to Americans across the country.

“The administration promised the stimulus would keep unemployment below 8 percent, and they promised the stimulus would create jobs immediately. It's pretty clear now that the administration was wrong,” Boehner said.

The House Minority Leader cited other Democratic legislation that he believes could worsen the economy as well, saying “Here we are at a time when we're trying to save jobs in America, help get our economy going again, and all people see is a lot of wasteful Washington spending, job-killing measures like energy and health care, and, oh, yes, we've got to take care of the saltwater marsh mouse.”

On Wedndesay, Boehner said President Obama and Vice President Biden have been telling lies about why the Stimulus package hasn’t reversed the nation’s spiraling unemployment rate, and argued that GOP-backed tax cut plans would a better solution to return momentum to the struggling economy.

Boehner also touched on the recent letter which incriminates the CIA on enhanced interrogation methods, insisting that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should apologize for having accused the intelligence agency of a lack of transparency.

“I do not believe that the CIA lied to Congress. I'm still waiting for Speaker Pelosi to either put up the facts or retract her statement and apologize. And I don't know that this letter changes anything with regard to the speaker's action,” Boehner said.

Boehner Accuses White House Of Lying About Stimulus

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

During a press conference Wednesday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio.) said President Obama and Vice President Biden have been telling lies about why the Stimulus package hasn't reversed the nation's spiraling unemployment rate.

“I found it interesting in the last couple of days, the Vice President and the President mentioned the fact they didn't realize how difficult an economic circumstance we were in. Now this is the biggest fabrication I’ve seen since I’ve been in Congress. I’ve sat through those meetings at the White House with the President, the Vice President, trust me there’s not one person that sat in those rooms that didn't know how serious our economic crisis was,” Boehner said.

Reps. John Boehner (R-Ohio.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wa) cautioned that the recent legislation put forth by the Democrats will do nothing but increase taxes which, in the long term, will hinder consumer spending.

“Republicans know and the American people know that what we need is fiscal discipline in Washington D.C and we need to give the American people a tax relief, working families, small businesses and family
farms need more of their hard earned money to put this economy back on its feet,” said Pence.

As for health care, McMorris-Rodgers explained that “We cannot forget that doctors are the experts, we must guard that relationship between the doctor and his patient; it is one of the most valued relationships
that we have,” adding that “We can reform health care, and we can give options to the uninsured without the federal government setting up shop as a big health insurance company or the health care gate keeper.”