Tonight, we’ll start with some astoundingly stupid things Obamacare supporters said this week. We’ll finish up with a suggestion for the Trump campaign.
I call them ‘stupid prog tricks’. Maybe we should do a poll tonight to see which statement is the stupidest. They all relate to the Obama administration’s illegal cost-sharing subsidies for Obamacare.
Republicans on Capitol Hill issued a report and held hearings on the subject. The subsidies are part of Obamacare, but Congress has never funded them. The administration claims it can fund them just like the Obamacare tax credits which don’t need specific appropriations. It’s a serious issue involving $7 billion and separation of powers under the Constitution. As you may recall, the House is in court trying to stop the payments, and prevailed at the trial level in May.
Despite the billions of dollars and serious Constitutional questions involved, some chucklehead Democrats on the House Energy & Commerce Committee actually said investigating the subsidies is a ‘waste of time’. Other Democrat lawmakers said Congress should just let the courts worry about the constitutionality of it all. Huh? What oath did they take? ?-Congress doesn’t have to worry about the constitutionality of the laws it passes? Unbelievable. An assistant Treasury secretary said, if Congress didn’t want the money spent, it should have passed a law saying so. This is just breathtaking in its stupidity – the guy actually believes the executive branch is free to spend money as long as Congress does not specifically prohibit it. That turns our entire system upside down. But not to be outdone were the so-called legal experts appearing in one article who said Congress will lose this case because HHS ‘promised’ the money to the insurers, and government promises are enforceable. That’s just bizarre. How can agencies tie Congress’s hands with any old willy-nilly promise they want to make and force Congress to cough up the money? Where does that end? Say I’m an agency, and I promise free ice cream to everyone on the planet, and Congress just has to pay for it. I don’t think so. The argument reduces to the absurd, because it IS absurd.
Finally, a suggestion for the Donald Trump campaign. This comes from a member of my Truth Squad. The Donald should promise not to enforce the Obamacare individual mandate. This would be immensely popular – people hate the mandate – and it would put Hillary Clinton in the position of defending it and arguing to keep it. Since Trump has promised to get rid of Obamacare, he should have no problem promising not to enforce the mandate from day one of his presidency. If you have any pull with the Trump campaign, please send the suggestion along to your contacts.
Links
O-admin covered up $7B in illegal unappropriated cost sharing subsidies; pretends can be funded like tax credits
https://energycommerce.house.gov/news-center/press-releases/energy-commerce-and-ways-means-highlight-obama-admin-s-unprecedented
Chuckleheads actually think investigation into $7B in lawless cost sharing payments a waste of time.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dems-obamacare-investigation-a-waste-of-time/article/2595975
Dem Member of Congress – ‘let the courts worry about the constitutionality of cost sharing subsidies.’ Huh?
https://morningconsult.com/2016/07/08/house-gop-continues-questions-of-aca-cost-sharing-legality/
Treasury: administration is free to spend as long it is not specifically prohibited from doing so. #Chuckleheads
https://energycommerce.house.gov/news-center/news/ec-wm-report-illegal-obamacare-spending-renews-focus-unprecedented-abuse-power
How can an agency make ‘promises’ to insurers and force Congress to cough up the money? Where does that stop?
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/287626-lawyers-cast-doubt-on-insurers-obamacare-lawsuits
Memo to Campaign– Promise not to enforce individual mandate. This would be immensely popular & HRC has to argue to keep it
@realDonaldTrump