Washington—This afternoon, the House passed S. CON. RES. 3. While the resolution will technically set the congressional budget for the United States Government for the remaining eight months of fiscal year 2017, its only functional purpose is to produce reconciliation instructions that unlock fast track authority that Congress can then use to repeal Obamacare. Heritage Action released the following statement from Chief Executive Officer Michael A. Needham:
"This week, the House and Senate took an important first step toward delivering on a longstanding campaign priority: the repeal of Obamacare. Now lawmakers must turn their attention to repealing Obamacare and then providing a smooth transition to a reformed health care system. This Congress—not some future Congress—has a lot to do, and Heritage Action looks forward to working with lawmakers to empower patients, expand access and lowers health care costs."
Heritage Action began laying out the path forward in its key vote earlier this week:
"As that process moves forward in the coming weeks - reconciliation recommendations must be submitted to the House and Senate budget committees by January 27—conservatives will view the reconciliation measure vetoed by President Obama as the bare minimum. That bill would have repealed the vast majority of Obamacare including the individual and employer mandates, the coverage subsidies, Medicaid expansion and the law's onerous taxes, and included a two-year transition period. As Speaker Ryan noted last year, 'We have shown now that there is a clear path to repealing Obamacare without 60 votes in the Senate. So, next year, if we're sending this bill to a Republican president, it will get signed into law.'"
Related:
Key Vote: "YES" on Obamacare Repeal Budget Resolution (S. CON. RES. 3)
The Hill: Congress has a Mandate to Repeal Obamacare