the Government News Feeds blog

A vote is scheduled in the House this week on Rep. Lee Terry’s (R-NE) bill (H.R. 3), which clears the roadblocks delaying Keystone XL — and more and more labor unions are coming out in full support of it. The AFL-CIO Building & Construction Trades Department “emphatically” supports Keystone, noting that the “economic, energy security and national security benefits” are “too important to allow it to be delayed any longer.” Read their letter to Congress here : Then there’s the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , which says Keystone XL will “contribute to enhanced energy security, economic prosperity, and, of critical importance, the creation of good paying jobs.” Here’s their letter : Both join several other unions, including the Laborers’ International Union of North America which said Keystone “ is not just a pipeline; it is, in fact, a lifeline .” And the International Union of Operating Engineers said its members are “hungry for work” and H.R. 3 will “ unlock the jobs ” the Keystone project will create. H.R. 3 is a key part of the Republican Plan for Economic Growth & Jobs . The $7 billion private-sector Keystone XL pipeline: Will “ create over 20,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs ”; Will “ carry nearly a million additional barrels per day of secure North American oil supplies to U.S. refineries”; and Is supported by workers and employers , a bipartisan coalition in Congress , editorial boards , and a majority of the American people .

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More Labor Unions “Emphatically” Back Keystone XL Jobs Project

Bureaucratic and legal hurdles could continue to delay the Keystone XL project even if President Obama were to approve it. That’s why Rep. Lee Terry’s (R-NE) bill – the Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3) – will get a vote in the House this week . H.R. 3 clears all the roadblocks facing Keystone, and paves the way for a project that will create tens of thousands of jobs and make energy more affordable. Keystone is widely popular with the American people and has bipartisan support in Congress. It’s also popular with the American workers who would actually build the pipeline. For example: At a rally in Tulsa with several hundred welders, fitters and others, “ Speakers called the pipeline an economic engine because of the thousands of workers needed to build it and a national security necessity because it allows the U.S. to import Canadian rather than OPEC oil,” reported Tulsa World . But “the U.S. State Department is still considering permitting for the northern cross-border section…” “Too many hard-working Americans are out of work, and the Keystone XL Pipeline will change this dire situation by creating thousands of construction jobs, with good wages and good benefits,” wrote the president of the Laborers International Union of North America . “ For these workers, the Keystone XL is not just a pipeline, it is a lifeline .” “The Operating Engineers appreciate Congressman Terry’s leadership on H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act. The United States cannot afford further delay and uncertainty on the Keystone XL pipeline,” wrote the International Union of Operating Engineers . “ It’s time to unlock the jobs this massive private investment will create and put Operating Engineers to work .” The Energy & Commerce Committee calls Keystone XL a “landmark shovel-ready project” that “will create over 20,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs and carry nearly a million additional barrels per day of secure North American oil supplies to U.S. refineries.” And given that Keystone has already satisfied several environmental reviews and requirements, the Northern Route Approval Act eliminates the need for presidential approval and streamlines the permit process to get construction going. According to Energy & Commerce , “Similar legislation was necessary in 1973 to achieve construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline after facing many of the same challenges.” Learn more about the Keystone XL project here and about H.R. 3 here . And LIKE and SHARE the graphic above on Facebook and Google+ .

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American Workers Call Keystone XL an “Economic Engine” that Will Create Thousands of Jobs

The House will vote on H.R. 45 this Thursday to fully repeal the president’s health care law, which is driving up costs , jeopardizing seniors’ access to care , and making it harder for small businesses to hire . While our goal is to repeal all of ObamaCare – and this will be the third time the Republican-led House has voted for full repeal since 2011 – we’ve already succeeded in repealing and defunding parts of it. Here’s a look at how seven bills* signed by President Obama helped dismantle provisions of his health care law to protect our economy and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars : H.R. 4 : Repealed the small business paperwork (“1099”) mandate : The paperwork mandate was called “ one of Washington’s dumbest ideas ” – it would have destroyed jobs and “hit start-ups hardest, not to mention farms, charities and churches.” House Republicans kept their Pledge to America and repealed it. H.R. 4 also reduced exchange subsidy overpayments by $25 billion. H.R. 1473 : Cut $2.2 billion from a “stealth public plan” and froze the IRS budget : H.R. 1473 undermined ObamaCare by cutting $2.2 billion from the “Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan” (CO-OP) program – a “ stealth public plan .” It saved $400 million by eliminating “Free Choice Vouchers,” which The Hill warned “could lead young, healthy workers to opt out” of their employer plans, “driving up costs for everybody else.” And it ensured the IRS wouldn’t receive additional funding for new agents to enforce the president’s health care law. H.R. 674 : Saved taxpayers $13 billion by adjusting eligibility for ObamaCare programs : This bill not only repealed a devastating IRS withholding tax – it saved taxpayers $13 billion by changing how the eligibility for certain programs is calculated under ObamaCare. Without the change, a couple earning as much as much as $64,000 could still qualify for Medicaid. H.R. 2055 : Made more cuts to CO-OPs, IPAB, IRS : This bill shaved another $400 million off the CO-OPs; cut another $305 million from the IRS to hamper its ability to enforce the law’s tax hikes and mandates; and rescinded $10 million from the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) of bureaucrats, to which Republican leaders are declining to recommend appointments . H.R. 3630 : Slashed billions from ObamaCare slush funds : Republicans fought for another $11.6 billion in savings, saving taxpayers $5 billion from the Prevention & Public Health slush fund, $2.5 billion from ObamaCare’s “ Louisiana Purchase ,” and more. H.R. 4348 : Saved another $670 million from the “Louisiana Purchase” : This saved another $670 million by further adjusting a drafting error that made the “Louisiana Purchase” even costlier. H.R. 8 : Repealed the unsustainable CLASS program : H.R. 8 saved $6.5 billion by repealing the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, an unsustainable entitlement program whose phony “savings” were used by Democrats to mask the true cost of ObamaCare. The former Democratic chairman of the Senate Budget Committee called CLASS “ a Ponzi scheme of the first order, the kind of thing Bernie Madoff would be proud of .” The bill also rescinded all unobligated CO-OP funds – another $2.3 billion savings for taxpayers. Are these enough? Of course not – full repeal is needed to keep this law from doing more damage to our economy and jacking up costs on Americans. But Republicans have made some progress, and will keep working to scrap the law in its entirety so we can focus on patient-centered reforms that lower health care costs and protect jobs. * Information compiled by the Office of the Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

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Seven House-Passed Bills President Obama Signed that Repeal or Defund Parts of His Health Care Law

The folks at the House Republican Conference led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) put together this video on the train wreck that is the president’s health care law. Not only is ObamaCare being enforced by the IRS – the same agency that’s targeted conservatives and give n preferential treatment to liberal groups – it’s driving up costs and “ scar[ing] the daylights ” out of small business owners. In fact, according to a new Gallup survey , ObamaCare “could be a significant drag on the U.S. economy.” More than half of small business owners – 55 percent – “expect the money they pay for healthcare to increase,” says Gallup . The Washington Post says “a new tax on insurance providers” has many small business owners worried that “the health-care law will mean higher premiums for them” – which could mean higher costs and lower wages for employees . “Small businesses could see rates climb by 50 percent,” wrote The Hill , highlighting a recent survey of insurers by the Energy & Commerce Committee . These fears are already having a real world impact – “41% of small-business owners say they have held off on hiring new employees and 38% have pulled back on plans to grow their business,” says Gallup . “One in five (19%) have reduced their number of employees and essentially the same number (18%) have cut employee hours in response to the healthcare law.” The House of Representatives votes tomorrow to fully repeal the president’s health care law. Learn more about this vote, and other successful efforts to repeal or defund parts of the law, here .

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“Arrested Economic Development”: ObamaCare “Scares the Daylights” Out of Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (R-MD) will discuss Republicans’ efforts to lower health care costs and promote economic growth when he delivers the Weekly Republican Address on Saturday, May 18.  On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 45, legislation fully repealing and defunding the president’s health care law, which is raising costs, reducing access to quality care, and making it harder for small businesses to hire.  “The president’s health care law is already undermining our economy — employers are cutting workers and cutting hours, costs are going up, and even Democrats are worried the whole thing is headed for a train wreck,” House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said.  “A physician and leading voice in Congress for patients and families, Andy Harris has shown outstanding leadership on health care issues, and I look forward to hearing what he has to say in our weekly address.” Thursday’s vote marked the third time the Republican-led House has voted to fully repeal the president’s health care law since 2011.  President Obama has signed several other bills that repeal or defund parts of the law. “As a physician for nearly thirty years who helped mothers and their new babies get through childbirth, I have seen what is good and what is bad about America’s healthcare system, and ObamaCare makes our system worse,” Rep. Harris said.  “Instead of lowering costs like Washington Democrats promised, ObamaCare is leading insurance companies all over the country to raise their rates by double and triple digits.  Small businesses are having to think long and hard about whether they will cut back worker hours, lay off staff, or quit providing healthcare to their employees. Together we can fix the broken parts of the system by focusing on patient-centered changes to improve the quality and access to care.” Before being elected to Congress in 2010, Congressman Andy Harris spent nearly 30 years as a physician and on the faculty at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.  He also conducted NIH funded research while at Johns Hopkins and is one of the only members of Congress to have done so.  During Operation Desert Storm, he served in the Naval Reserve Medical Corps where he cared for members of the military at Bethesda Naval Hospital.  Andy and his wife Cookie live in Maryland’s First District, have five children, and one grandchild.  He brings his expertise in the medical field to his seat in Congress and position on the Committee on Appropriations. The text and the audio of the Weekly Republican Address will be released Friday afternoon and embargoed until Saturday, May 18 at 6:00 a.m. EST, when it will be available to view and download.

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Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. to Discuss Jobs & Health Care in the Weekly Republican Address