By Learned Foote- Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) criticized Democratic priorities over the past few months, including the stimulus plan, the cap-and-trade bill, and the ongoing debate over health care reform, during a press conference Thursday.

Rep. Boehner also argued that legislation is being passed too quickly in Congress. When asked whether he has read every bill during his time in Congress, he admitted that he “may not have read every word in every bill,” but claimed that he tried to understand all of the legislation he supported. He said that during his time as Majority Leader, the Republicans always allowed bills to remain under consideration for at least 24 hours before a vote.

Rep. Boehner dismissed a compromise recently reached by conservative and progressive members of the Democratic Congress over health care legislation, and predicted that Americans would pressure their elected representatives to reject the legislation over the summer recess.

Citing multiple polls, Rep. Boehner argued that most Americans do not support health care reforms being advanced by the Obama administration and Congress. “This isn’t about Republicans,” said Boehner. “This is the American people’s opposition that is growing.” He argued that the “American public doesn’t want the government involved and delivering their health care.”

Rep. Boehner acknowledged that some private sector associations support the proposed health care reform legislation, but said that “privately they have serious concerns.” He said that there is “muted opposition from the lobbyist groups because they basically have got a foot in each camp.”

“None of the committee chairman that are writing this bill have any private sector experience….for that matter, neither does the president,” said Rep. Boehner.

By Joseph Russell- Talk Radio News Service

There are at least two things lawmakers agree upon in Washington regarding health care reform. First, it must be done. Second, it’s becoming a nightmare.

The nightmare for Democrats is being caused by growing bipartisan objection for a government run health care system. Republicans like House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), say the bill is a “bureaucratic nightmare” for the American public.

On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said that House Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats “are on the verge of an historic victory for the American taxpayers and the American health care economy” by opposing a government run health care system.

Said Pence, “Under the Democrat plan, according to independent analysis, you’ll probably lose your health insurance and you might just lose your job.”

Governor Haley Barbour from Mississippi pointed out that the current proposal is nothing more than a huge unfunded mandate for states, and will hurt senior citizens through sweeping Medicare cuts. Moreover, Barbour said that the inevitable cost and tax increases will cripple most small businesses in most states.

Nevertheless, congressional recess is set to begin Friday, and without a proposal for health care reform in sight, it’s unknown whether members of Congress will be able to leave for vacation on time.

By Sam Wechsler – Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) stated Monday that “when you look at the Democrat proposal [for health care reform], it’s clear that it’s going to drive the cost of health care even higher.”

A few minutes later, down the hall of the Capitol, House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said, “I don’t think we ought to be talking about what it’s going to cost us to do this plan. What we should be talking about is what is it going to cost us if we don’t do this.”

The differing partisan opinions didn’t end there.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) pointed out that the CEO of a top insurance company earned $24 million in compensation this past year. “It’s time to add more competition and more choice,” he said.

“If the Democrats get their way on health care, you’ll probably lose your health insurance and you might just lose your job,” House Republican Chair Mike Pence said Monday (R-Ind.). Pence cited White House chief economic advisor Christina Romer in saying that the business tax hikes alone will kill up to 4.7 million jobs. Boehner added that the tax hikes will disproportionately hit small businesses the most.

Meanwhile, House Democratic Chair John Larson (D-Conn.) estimated that close to 16,000 small business employees in Boehner’s district would be able to get health insurance thanks to Democratic health care reform. Larson also claimed that 91,000 people would have access to health insurance in Pence’s district.

Said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), “This is about the American people. It’s about making them healthier, more economically secure, and to have more choices in their lives.”

Boehner, however, disagreed with the Speaker.

“At a time when most Americans are asking the question ‘where are the jobs?’ we don’t need to be instituting policies that will drive the cost of employment higher….and raise the unemployment rate,” he argued.

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) says that a payroll tax within the Democrats’ health care proposal will eliminate 5 million additional U.S. jobs (0:34).

 

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By Joseph Russell – Talk Radio News Service

Republican leaders in the House called for “smart reform” at a press conference Thursday. The new Health Solutions Group, comprised of House Republicans from committees dealing with health care reform, said that as more Americans raise objections to a government take-over of health care, President Obama becomes less specific.

“The president really presented the American people with a false choice,” House Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said. “There are only two ways, either the status quo or a government health care plan. We’re here to say that there really is a third way.”

The Health Solutions Group heard testimony from Canadian citizens and British doctors like Shona Holmes who claimed her life was saved by leaving Canada and coming to the U.S. for treatment. Holmes said that 5 million people in Canada go without a family doctor, a percentage that would equal “the same population as in the State of California.”

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) was more focused on the impact Obamacare, if passed, will have on small businesses. “Either you offer health insurance to your employees or you pay an eight percent payroll tax,” Boehner said. “What this is going to do is raise the cost of employment, which is going to mean less employees in America. . . according to their bill, they’re going to lose about five million jobs.”

House GOP leaders said that growing bipartisan disapproval for a government run health care bill is going to make it difficult for House Democrats to continue to ignore Republicans, who argue that they have been left out of the process. Though unlikely, the Democratic health care proposal, over 1,100 pages long, may still be voted on before the Congressional recess in August.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said that President Obama will claim in his press conference Wednesday evening that health care reform will allow Americans to keep their plan. However, Boehner says that the proposal will actually force Americans into using the government plan. (:31)

 

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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.

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), says President Obama has no one but himself and his administration to blame for the lack of support for the Democrats’ health care proposals. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) says it is time for the Administration and House Democrats to come together with the House Republicans to work out a health care proposal that will work for America. (0:19)

 

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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.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R- Ohio) accuses Democratic leaders of excluding Republicans from the health care reform debate, even though help has been offered. Boehner says that the American public knows that both parties will have to work together in order to achieve a working health care plan. (0:24)

 

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