Hensarling Votes to Put Bill Repealing Major Obamacare Provisions, Defunding Planned Parenthood on President’s Desk

WASHINGTON—U.S. Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following statement upon House passage of the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act (H.R. 3672), a package of budget reconciliation recommendations aimed at dismantling Obamacare and protecting life.

“In April – for the first time since 2009 – Congress complied with the law and passed a budget resolution agreement through both the House and Senate. This fiscally-responsible budget put our nation on a sustainable path by balancing in less than 10 years, stopping our out of control spending, and eventually paying off our nation’s $18 trillion and rising national debt.

“This budget also set up an opportunity implement reforms it called for through a process known as reconciliation.  These reforms will save taxpayers $130 billion – all while improving the health care of Americans by beginning to finally dismantle Obamacare and using the power of the purse to protect innocent life.  

“To protect the unborn and promote access to health care, today’s legislation uses our Constitutional power of the purse and defunds abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.  Instead of funding an organization whose main business is killing innocent life, we redirect those taxpayer dollars and invest in community health centers that provide quality accessible care for women, men, and children—including the unborn.    

“Today’s legislation also takes several key steps to dismantle Obamacare by repealing some of the law’s most harmful provisions, including the individual and employer mandates. This legislation also repeals several of the law’s most burdensome taxes – like the medical device tax and the “Cadillac Tax” – and gets rid of the Obamacare slush fund which has enabled the Administration to spend billions each year without input from the people’s elected representatives in Congress.

“While I would have preferred to be voting on a full repeal of Obamacare, the American people would still be much better off than they are today if this bill becomes law. And the processed used will ensure this bill that begins dismantling Obamacare lands on the president’s desk where he will be forced to either admit that his signature piece of legislation is harmful and unpopular or ignore the will of the American people and veto these changes.”

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