As we head into the holiday weekend, many of us will be busy with family gatherings, trips and community events. My family will be celebrating the graduation of my son, Ben, from high school. Amidst the activity of the weekend, let us take time to remember those in our armed forces who gave all to secure the way of life we enjoy today.
You will find my Memorial Day message in this newsletter, along with information about two bills I voted for this week — H.R. 3, the “Northern Route Approval Act” and H.R. 1911 “The Smarter Solutions for Students Act.” You will also find my blog post about a recent Wall Street Journal report on some of the choices employers are being forced to consider due to looming Obamacare fees and penalties.
I hope you will share this information with your friends by forwarding this email. Please stay engaged and up to date with the work I am doing at home and in Washington by visiting my website at ellmers.house.gov and by following me on my social media sites by clicking on the icons in the right sidebar.
I wish the best to you and your family for a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.
Remembering the Fallen
Each year we spend the first weekend of summer visiting with friends and family and enjoying the comfort of our surroundings. Memorial Day is so much more than this – it is a time to honor the memory of our bravest men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.
From the fields of Saratoga and Gettysburg to the sands of Normandy and Fallujah, American men and women gave their lives for the preservation of our republic and the freedoms we hold dear. We must never forget their sacrifice and the loved ones who are forever changed by their loss.
This Memorial Day, let us all live to earn the liberty they entrusted to our safekeeping and honor their memory for future generations to come.
Voting for Jobs
This week, the House GOP voted to approve the Keystone XL pipeline by passing H.R. 3, “The Northern Route Approval Act”. This legislation will force the Obama Administration to approve construction of the pipeline and immediately add an estimated 20,000 jobs to the economy. It had been over 1,700 days since the Keystone application was submitted and that is too long to wait for the jobs and new source of energy security we so desperately need.
Click here to visit the Energy and Commerce Committee website for more information about H.R. 3 and the Keystone XL project.
Voting to Save Students Money
Yesterday, I voted in favor of H.R. 1911 – “The Smarter Solutions for Students Act.” This is an important piece of legislation that moves all federal student loans (except Perkins loans) to a market-based interest rate. This common sense proposal is similar to a plan put forth by President Obama in his Fiscal Year 2014 budget request. The Smarter Solutions for Students Act gets politicians out of the business of setting loan interest rates, provides a long-term fix to the interest rate cliffs initiated in 2007, provides students certainty, allows the free market to work, and protects taxpayers. To learn more about the bill, please visit the Education and Workforce Committee’s website by clicking here.
The Smarter Solutions for Students Act gets politicians out of the business of setting loan interest rates, provides a long-term fix to the interest rate cliffs initiated in 2007, provides students certainty, allows the free market to work, and protects taxpayers. To learn more about the bill, please visit the Education and Workforce Committee’s website by clicking here.
You can find my full statement on my vote for H.R. 1911 on this page of my website.
The “Bare Bones” of Obamacare
As additional provisions of Obamacare go into effect, employers are addressing the impact that the law will have on their businesses. At every turn we see another negative consequence of Obamacare for both employers and employees.
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that in order to avoid penalties under Obamacare, some employers are now offering employee health care plans that lack the basic benefits which employees have previously enjoyed. Some of these benefits include such basics as hospital coverage, surgery, X-rays and prenatal care.
Employers seeking to avoid the $2,000 per worker penalty for failing to provide insurance are now being pitched these “bare-bones” policies by insurance brokers and benefit administrators. But employers who decide on these limited policies could still face a $3,000 fee for any employee who opts out and instead chooses a subsidized health exchange policy.
Last week, a report from the Energy and Commerce Committee cited 17 major insurance companies that said healthcare for young adults could increase by as much as 400 percent and employers should expect their costs to go up 50 to 100 percent.
These additional costs from premium increases and potential fines are not only making it harder for employers to make a profit and provide quality health coverage to their employees, but in many cases are also preventing them from hiring additional workers.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously said of Obamacare, “we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” We are not only finding out what is in it, but of the devastating effect it is having on our businesses, employees, and our economy.
Last week, I voted for H.R. 45 to fully repeal Obamacare. It is clear from all the evidence we have seen — we cannot afford the consequences of this misguided law.