House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Pete King (R-NY) laid out the details on the legislative agenda for the House for the next 100 days when they appeared on AM 790 in New York:
“We’re going to be going full steam to move forward with the Trump agenda to make America great again,” Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) said on John Catsimatidis’ “Cats Roundtable” radio program on AM 970 in New York.”Basically Donald Trump has said it’s not only a change in president or change of party, it’s really a whole change of philosophy. And it’s a whole new movement basically to give power back to the people,” he said. “And it’s going to be more assertive as far as America is concerned. It’s no doubt he is determined, and he didn’t back down at all … It’s definitely a new era in American history.”
McCarthy told the program that if Congress wants to get the country going, the politicians need to look at “four columns.” Obviously the most important subject remains healthcare:
“One is healthcare … so we are going to repeal ObamaCare and replace it,” McCarthy said, insisting that Republicans would find a replacement for the law.”We will assure everybody we are replacing it, just as we’ve always said and just like we’ve had the ideas out there that will allow people to actually have a better relationship with their doctor, not have ‘one size fits all,’ bring more choice into the process … and bring the premiums down. It’s — people are going to like what they see,” he added.
Only hours after his swearing in, President Donald Trump (it’s still so weird to type that!) signed an executive order on Obamacare, relieving a bit of pressure. There is only so much Trump can do, but his EO did everything he could:
Sec. 2. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) and the heads of all other executive departments and agencies (agencies) with authorities and responsibilities under the Act shall exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the Act that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices, products, or medications.
The House passed a budget on January 13 as a first step to repealing and replacing Obamacare. The Senate also passed legislation they called a “repeal resolution.” This shows “that Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are, haltingly, getting on the same page as they look to gut the Affordable Care Act in the first 100 days of the new administration.”
McCarthy then targeted the numerous regulations passed under President Obama. He promised that the new Congress will abide by the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act, which means regulations must receive approval from Congress.
Tax reform and infrastructure are the other columns McCarthy spoke of:
“But the challenge here is, you’ve got to get the country moving and working again, so you see [regulation] reform going forward,” the lawmaker added.The last two key areas on the agenda are tax reform and infrastructure reform, McCarthy said.”You’ve got to get the economic engine of America growing again, so the middle class can grow again, and to me that’s tax reform,” he argued.”And the fourth pillar … is infrastructure. You got to make sure that America has the infrastructure in the 21st century to be able to compete,” he added.
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