If the CLASS Act is a microcosm [2] of the gimmicks and dishonesty involved in creating ObamaCare, one recently imposed regulation [3] is the clearest expression yet of how government-run health care will trample on Americans’ constitutional rights.
Most people commonly associate the First Amendment with freedom of speech, but its first words are actually to guarantee us freedom of religion. Yet, under an ideological new rule handed down by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, many organizations affiliated with the Catholic Church will be required to provide free contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs in their employees’ health insurance plans.
Forcing Catholic hospitals, schools, and charities to subsidize contraception and abortion is a blatant attack on the freedom of religion that Americans have valued since the days of the Pilgrims. People of all faiths and political views should be able to agree that this action is unacceptable.
Conservatives in the House and Senate will fight this violation of religious freedom. With a groundswell of support from you and other concerned Americans, I know we can win. Please spread the word.
God Bless,
Congressman Jim Jordan
Chairman, Republican Study Committee
RSC Media Activity – RSC members work hard to ensure that the conservative viewpoint is well-represented in all corners of the media. Visit our Media Center [4] for more.
· Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05): Creating Jobs With Hydropower [5]; Irrigation Leader, January 31.
· Rep. Darrell Issa (CA-49): Common Sense Can Win the Day with Bipartisan Repeal of CLASS [6]; The Daily Caller, February 3.
· Rep. Joe Pitts (PA-16) spoke on the House floor on February 2 to protest [7] the new ObamaCare regulation that violates religious conscience.
· Rep. Reid Ribble (WI-08): Coming Together to Get out of Debt [8]; The Hill, February 6.
RSC Member Activity – RSC members make it a priority to introduce productive, conservative solutions for America’s future.
· Rep. Ben Quayle (AZ-03) introduced H.Res. 532 [9], calling for a special prosecutor to investigate Operation “Fast and the Furious.”
· Rep. Mick Mulvaney (SC-05) introduced H.R.3893 [10], which will help protect small business contractors and bring more transparency and accountability to federal procurement.
· Rep. Paul Broun (GA-10) introduced H.R. 3883 [11], which would remove the President from the budgetary process and force Congress to pass a budget or go unpaid.
· Rep. Ted Poe (TX-02) introduced the H.R.3811 [12], which would allow Congress to directly and immediately approve the permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline.
· Rep. Sean Duffy (WI-07) introduced H.R. 3835 [13], legislation that would extend the pay freeze of members of Congress and non-military Federal employees through 2013.
· Rep. Tom Graves (GA-09) introduced H.R. 3867 [14] to cancel a Department of Transportation (DOT) rule that hides government taxes and fees in airline ticket pricing.
House Floor Activity – The following key legislation came through the House of Representatives recently.
· On February 1, the House passed H.R. 1173 [15] to repeal the CLASS Act section of ObamaCare. The House also voted [16] to: extend the pay freeze for members of Congress & other federal employees (H.R. 3835); prohibit the use of welfare funds in strip clubs, liquor stores & casinos (H.R. 3567); and cut the budgets for House committees (H.Res. 496).
· On February 2, the House passed H.R. 3582 [17], to require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to analyze the economic impact of spending and tax related legislation.
· On February 3, the House passed the Conference Report on H.R. 658 [18], to reauthorize the FAA. The House also passed H.R. 3578 [19], to remove a bias toward automatically increased budgets from CBO’s assumptions about future spending.
Outlook – A quick look at what’s on the horizon.
· Today would be President Ronald Reagan’s 101st Birthday.
· Tomorrow, the House will vote on H.R. 1734, the Civilian Property Realignment Act, and H.R. 3521, the Expedited Legislative Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act.
· On Wednesday, the House will consider H.R. 3581, the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act.
· CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, will take place in Washington, D.C. Thursday through Saturday. RSC Chairman Jim Jordan will speak to the conference on Thursday.
· On Thursday, the House will vote on S. 2038, the STOCK Act.
RSC Reports
· Each week the House is in session, the RSC Budget and Spending Taskforce compiles a weekly report [20] on the latest budget and spending news. Additionally, the RSC Money Monitor [21] tracks how bills passed by the House affect authorizations, mandatory spending, and federal government revenue.
· The Congressional Budget Office released its budget forecast for the next ten years last week, projecting that this will be the fourth straight year with a deficit over $1 trillion. Click here for a one-page summary [22] of the report.