MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — This morning, at the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference, Speaker Johnson discussed House Republicans’ efforts to lower health care premiums for all Americans, increase health care access, expand health care choices, and bring greater transparency to America’s health care system through the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act. Speaker Johnson also highlighted House Republicans’ extensive accomplishments in the first session of the 119th Congress.

“The Washington Post summarized all this best in one simple sentence. They said, ‘The real problem is that the Affordable Care Act was never actually affordable.’ That’s the problem,” Speaker Johnson said. “America’s health care system should be the envy of the world. Instead, it’s the most expensive in the world, and the American people are not getting any healthier.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here

On the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act:

For all the obvious reasons, all Americans deserve a health care system that puts patients first; one that meets their needs with more access, more choice, and more affordable quality care. And House Republicans have offered legislation to begin fixing what is broken and to restore integrity to our nation’s health care system. And it’s so long overdue. The Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act will be on the floor tomorrow; it is the first big step in that regard.

It offers common sense solutions to lower premium costs for everybody, for all Americans. It expands access to quality care. It provides every American with more options and flexibility to choose coverage that works for them. And it brings greater transparency to America’s health care system. And the bill has five key reforms. I’ll just reiterate some of this real quickly. It reduces premium costs through cost sharing reduction payments, brings pharmacy benefit manager transparency and removes the hidden costs of prescription drugs, it allows small business owners and independent workers to form association health plans to provide more choice for employees to customize their healthcare plans, and it protects small businesses from costly regulatory overreach. According to the latest CBO projection, Republicans cost sharing reduction payments, just that provision alone, would reduce premiums by at least 11% and will save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars, about $30 billion.

On Democrats fighting to continue subsidizing their broken, wasteful health care system:

It is the Democrats’ Unaffordable Care Act that broke America’s health care system, and it’s the Democrats who’ve refused every good faith Republican effort to fix it along the way. This is 15 years into this saga that the American people have been drug through, because the Democrats decided 15 years ago to break the system. They insisted when they passed the Unaffordable Care Act that it would reduce premiums; it would provide more choice and higher quality and all of that. And none of that ever happened. In fact, quite the opposite effect is what we have seen. All this was foreseeable, and that’s why Republicans didn’t support it. Premiums have skyrocketed. The quality of care has plummeted in so many places and in so many cases around the country. And the fraud is absolutely rampant in the system, and it’s costing everyone dearly.

Yes, there is a health care affordability problem in America. It’s a very serious problem for almost every family. But it is an indisputable fact, the Democrats caused that problem, and Republicans are the ones having to cleaned it up. For 15 long years, Americans have now faced skyrocketing premiums, fewer quality choices, inefficient care and widespread fraud, waste, and abuse. Benchmark premiums for on the Obamacare marketplace, for every plan, have increased 80% overall since 2014, and they’re continuing to rise. The Unaffordable Care Act marketplace has resulted in lower quality plan offerings and less consumer choices. Today, fraud is absolutely rampant. Paragon Health is one of the analyst groups, and they estimate there’s over 6.4 million people who are improperly enrolled in the Obamacare exchange. And a recent GAO study, the Government Accountability Office, found some staggering facts. It proved what we all know intuitively about the fraud that’s involved in this program. They found that Obamacare subsidy system lacks even the most basic guardrails to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.

On Democrats flip-flopping over their support for Cost Sharing Reduction Payments:

The Democrats’ subsidy proposal would only lower premiums for a small subset of people. Now, think of this. Just 7% of America case would benefit. When they passed the COVID-era enhanced subsidy, enhanced premium tax credit, it would only affect and only did affect 7% of American people. If it was extended today, if their gambit was done and without any reforms and they expanded it for three years, which is what they tried to do in the Senate, and they failed last week, and what they would try to do in the House if allowed, that would only reduce for the 7% of Americans, it would only reduce their costs by 5.7%. This is not some solution to the problem. It’s just adding more money, further subsidizing the broken system, and the subsidies go to insurance companies. They’re not trying to solve the cost problem. They’re trying to hide that. And it’s not the way to fix it. It would also, by the way, cost taxpayers if the subsidy was extended, would cost American taxpayers $350 billion over the next 10 years. Again, the proposal doesn’t lower health care costs in any way. It only hides the true cost of a failed law.

I’ll remind you; CSR payments are not a new idea. In fact, in 2017, the thing that we’re going to put on the floor tomorrow, a big part of that, 196 House Democrats, many of them still in Congress, wrote a letter in support of that very idea – exactly what the Republican bill this week will accomplish. Now, they won’t tell you that this week. I’m certain they’re all going to vote against it. Why? As was said here many times this morning, they do not want a solution. Democrats do not want a solution. They want an issue in the upcoming election. And they think that the media will go along with this and that people will buy it. That their heroic effort to extend this, this COVID-era subsidy that they themselves created and that they themselves put the expiration date on at the end of this year, that they’re going to try to convince you that that’s all health care wrapped into that. Remember, it only affects 7% of Americans and could only reduce their cost by less than 6%. Democrats also had a chance to support our provision. House Democrats voted against it. And the Senate Democrats did as well. That cost sharing reduction would reduce everybody’s premiums by almost 12%. The Democrats fought to take it out.

On House GOP accomplishments in the first year of the 119^th Congress:

We obviously passed the Working Families Tax Cuts, the beautiful bill, the most significant piece of legislation that Congress has considered in my lifetime. Stephen Miller had a quote that summarized pretty well. He said, “Each and every one of the individual titles in that bill would be considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of the conservative movement.” They are conservative policies, but they benefit every American and everyone will be seeing and feeling the effects of that in the first and second quarter of next year when all that becomes implemented. By way of reminder, the legislation included the largest tax cut in American history, permanent extension of the reduced estate tax, Medicaid program reforms, expansion of SNAP work requirements, increased border enforcement and funding, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, increase standard deduction for seniors, tax-free savings accounts for every child born in America, business tax provisions to incentivize investment and innovation and broaden the path we out of poverty for more people. Wages will be increasing and costs will be going down.

Many of these landmark provisions are set for implementation in the first, second quarter, as I said, and all boats will begin to rise. Just last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted $100 to $150 billion in new tax refunds, between $1,000 and $2,000 per household. And most of the estimates say that the average American household would have their take home pay increase by at least 10,000 bucks. These are real tangible benefits that this bill is going to offer tens of millions of American families. And we’re excited about what’s ahead. It’s just one more example of the many positive and transformational outcomes that we want to see going into the next year. So far, House Republicans have passed 413 bills this year. We’ve codified 68 of President Trump’s America first executive orders. We’ve repealed 23 Biden-era regulations under the Congressional Review Act resolutions. We clawed back billions in wasteful spending through Rescissions and opened numerous investigations into President Biden’s failed administration. And we look forward to continuing all of that work when we return in 2026

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jesús Chuy García (IL-04)

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García issued the following statement about a new wave of federal agents arriving to Chicago:

“My office and I are aware that a large group of masked federal agents arrived in our city, once again terrorizing our community.

“At a time when families should be celebrating the holidays in safety and peace, these agents are instead carrying out operations to separate families, sow panic, and intimidate hardworking people. Investigative reporting has made it clear that these ICE raids are targeting individuals with no criminal records. 

“These operations are a choice. Masked agents, unannounced raids, and holiday timing are tactics designed to maximize fear. My office will continue to confront these practices and take every step necessary to protect our constituents and hold federal agencies and their leaders accountable.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)

A bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers is urging swift implementation of proposed updates to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding formula—changes that would significantly strengthen Florida’s ability to provide lifesaving care to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, established by Congress in 1990, provides critical medical care and support services to approximately 500,000 low-income Americans each year. Florida has one of the largest HIV-positive populations in the nation, with more than 100,000 Floridians living with HIV. 

Last month, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)—the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agency that administers the program—proposed updating the funding formula to reflect where people live today, rather than where they were originally diagnosed. The current formula disadvantages high-growth states like Florida, which experiences significant migration and population shifts each year.

The bipartisan Florida delegation urged HRSA to move forward with the update so federal resources better align with patient needs and current population realities.

“Florida’s HIV community has grown and changed, but the funding formula hasn’t kept up,” said Rep. Frankel (D-FL-22). “This is about making sure federal dollars follow patients so people can get tested, treated, and stay healthy. That’s good public health and good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

The letter was led by Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL-22) and signed by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) as well as Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-26), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25), Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16), Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24), John Rutherford (R-FL-05), Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Kat Cammack (R-FL-03), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL-10), Laurel Lee (R-FL-15), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), and Randy Fine (R-FL-06).

To read the full letter, click here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Thomas Massie (KY-04) are leading a bipartisan group of lawmakers to fully repeal the 2001 Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF). Notably, the 2001 AUMF is the only AUMF in American history that does not have a named enemy, geographic scope, a duration for which the authorization is active, or a list of specifically authorized operations.

“The United States has used the nebulous term ‘War on Terror’ to conduct military operations around the world for more than two decades. It is long overdue that we overhaul these broad authorities that enable the Executive Branch to conduct these operations with little to no oversight,” said Jayapal. “The American people do not want these forever wars. As the Trump Administration threatens military force in Nigeria and as they conduct strikes against alleged narcoterrorists, Congress must reassert our constitutional power to declare war to protect our servicemembers and our national security.”

“For almost a quarter of a century, this AUMF has been used to justify open-ended military operations across multiple countries, against groups and individuals that did not even exist in 2001 and were not connected to 9/11, without congressional authorization or oversight,” said Rep. Massie, “Too many American lives and too much American treasure has been expended on these endless foreign conflicts.”

In the decades since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, the original action authorized by this AUMF, numerous presidential administrations have used it as justification for actions against more than half a dozen groups around the world, including “associated forces” and “successor entities” of al-Qaeda, even in instances where there are negligible or no ties to the actors that carried out the September 11th attacks. 

While the ability to engage in counterterror operations is vital to U.S. national security interests, this AUMF is overly broad and abdicates Congress’ constitutional role to authorize hostilities. This authority must be updated to meet the current terror landscape and give clear guidance to the Administration on where hostilities can occur. With the House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress is on track to repeal a 1991 AUMF that authorized the Gulf War and a 2002 AUMF that authorized the Iraq War. However, the legislation failed to address the larger 2001 AUMF.

The legislation is also cosponsored by Representatives James P. McGovern (MA-02), Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Greg Casar (TX-35), Eli Crane (AZ-02). 

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

House Fusion Energy Caucus co-chairs Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Jay Obernolte (R-CA), and Lori Trahan (D-MA) today introduced bipartisan legislation to formally establish the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy (DOE). Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and John Cornyn (R-TX).

Last month, DOE released their reorganization plans which included an “Office of Fusion.” This bipartisan bill would codify this office, and urge DOE to move forward with plans to ensure that the United States can continue leading the way on fusion energy and eventually reach commercialization.

“Establishing an Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy is a critical step toward unlocking one of the most promising clean energy solutions,” said Representative Beyer. “Fusion research and development is advancing toward commercialization, and we need a coordinated federal effort dedicated to getting fusion energy on the grid as quickly as possible. An established Office of Fusion would provide the focused leadership and technical expertise necessary, in coordination with the private sector, to accelerate decades of scientific progress, give the United States the momentum it needs to lead the world in fusion energy development and deployment, and finally supply fusion power to the grid.”

“Fusion energy represents one of the most promising breakthroughs of our time, with the potential to deliver abundant, reliable, carbon-free power while strengthening America’s economic and national security,” said Representative Obernolte. “By reestablishing the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy, this bill accelerates commercialization through public-private partnerships, positions our workforce and supply chains to compete and win against adversaries like China, and ensures the United States remains the global leader in fusion technology. Congress must provide clear direction and a coordinated federal strategy to move fusion from the lab to the grid, and this legislation does exactly that.”

“Fusion energy holds enormous promise to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable power while strengthening America’s competitiveness and security,” said Representative Trahan. “Formally establishing an Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy will give this rapidly advancing field the focus and coordination it needs to move from breakthrough science to real-world deployment. With world-class fusion companies and researchers here in Massachusetts and across the country, this bipartisan legislation helps ensure the United States leads the way in bringing fusion from the lab to the grid.”

With energy costs soaring across the nation, the office would advance fusion energy and accelerate research, development, demonstration, deployment, and market adoption of fusion technologies. In partnership with the private sector, this office would also advance near-term and long-term fusion energy science and technology to meet the growing energy, environmental, and economic demands of the United States.

“A clean energy future powered by fusion has the potential to bring nearly unlimited, dependable, and carbon-free electricity across our country, slashing energy costs for millions of Americans,” said Senator Padilla. “California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is leading the industry with repeatable fusion ignition breakthroughs, and Republicans and Democrats agree that now is the time to support further progress to cement the United States’ energy dominance and establish fusion’s market viability. Establishing the Office of Fusion is a bipartisan priority to support advancements in fusion technology to lower Americans’ electric bills and meet the evolving energy needs of our nation.”

“As energy demand continues to skyrocket, the United States must implement innovative solutions quickly to maintain reliability and safeguard national security,” said Senator Cornyn. “By establishing the Office of Fusion within the Department of Energy, this legislation would accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge fusion energy as an abundant and reliable power source to help meet surging demand and bolster grid stability.”

Last year, Trahan, Obernolte, Beyer, Padilla, and Cornyn’s Fusion Energy Act was signed into law as part of the Fire Grants and Safety Act. The law streamlines the creation of clear federal regulations to support the development of commercial fusion facilities by codifying the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulatory authority over commercial fusion energy systems.

In December 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory became the first lab to achieve fusion ignition — meaning more energy was released than was needed for the reaction. Ignition has been achieved at least seven times since then. This success proves the viability of fusion energy and the leadership of the United States in the face of heavy investment by China.                     

“The restoration of the Office of Fusion, first by the Trump Administration, and now Congress, is the newest powerful signal that fusion is rapidly evolving from its scientific origins to a commercial endeavor that will power the global economy for generations,” said Bob Mumgaard, CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems. “I applaud the sponsors of the bill for the vision and leadership in helping to ensure the Department of Energy’s fusion efforts are organized and, ultimately, funded around driving commercial deployment and scaling of fusion power.”

“A dedicated office of fusion at the Department of Energy was a priority for the FIA from the beginning. We thank the sponsors for their leadership on the introduction of this bipartisan, bicameral legislation and look forward to supporting its passage. This bill will codify the DOE’s plan to create an office of fusion. The prioritization of fusion through a dedicated office will advance the path to commercial deployment,” said Andrew Holland, CEO, Fusion Industry Association.

A one-pager on the bill is available here. Full text of the bill is available here.

Rep. Don Beyer is the founder and co-chair of the bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus. He was a leading governmental voice in celebrating the historic announcement of a net energy gain from a human-controlled fusion energy reaction late last year. He has continuously advocated for fusion energy research and funding as a long time member of the House Science Committee, with his colleagues in Congress, at the White House, in the pages of Scientific American, and elsewhere.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Today the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) issued its November jobs report, which found that the unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent, the highest level since the pandemic, while the economy lost jobs on balance over the months of October (-108,000 jobs) and November (+64,000 jobs). In the seven months since President Trump’s tariffs took effect, the U.S. economy has averaged just 17,000 jobs added per month, a dramatic decrease from the monthly average of 168,000 the year before Trump took office.

Rep. Don Beyer, Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, said: 

“This disastrous jobs report makes it clear that this is not an ‘A++++ economy’ as President Trump claimed, it’s an economy at risk of sliding into recession.

“Trump’s tariffs are most to blame for the hiring slump. In the year before Trump took office, the U.S. economy averaged 168,000 jobs added per month. In the seven months since his tariffs went into place, that number has fallen to just 17,000. Our economy lost jobs in three of those months, after not seeing a single negative monthly job number since Trump’s first term. The national unemployment rate rose to 4.6 percent, the highest number since the Delta wave of the pandemic hit the U.S. in August of 2021.

“Even Trump’s Chief of Staff now admits Trump’s tariffs were ‘more painful than [she] expected.’ Tariffs were supposed to bring back manufacturing jobs, but manufacturing job numbers are plummeting. The Black unemployment rate is now over 8 percent, and wage growth is falling as inflation rises. Americans are paying more for groceries, electricity, housing, and health care, as Republicans prepare to pass even more legislation that will drive costs higher. Meanwhile they continue to surrender their power to stop Trump’s tariffs – the one thing they could do that would most help our flagging economy.”

New analysis released by the Joint Economic Committee finds American families have already paid an average of $1,200 each in tariff costs since President Trump was sworn into office in January.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) assured his office that it would work to secure a new contract for local postal services and keep the Glacier Post Office open:

“After Glacier residents raised concerns that their post office could close and disrupt mail services, I pressed USPS for assurances to keep this critical post office open. I am glad that the Postal Service committed to keeping the Glacier Post Office open and working to finalize a new contract to continue local postal services.

“I will continue to work with local leaders to ensure that USPS follows through on this commitment so the approximately 300 people who call Glacier home can receive their medications, ballots, paychecks, bills and other necessities.”

On November 18, 2025, Rep. Larsen wrote to Postmaster General David Steiner on behalf of Glacier residents, requesting clarity about Glacier Post Office operations and assurances the Post Office would remain open. The full text of Rep. Larsen’s November letter available here.

On December 5, 2025, USPS responded to Rep. Larsen and committed to working to keep the Glacier Post Office open. The full text of that response is available here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-5) announced his nominations of students from Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District for consideration to be accepted into the United States Air Force, Merchant Marine, Military, and Naval Academies in the Class of 2030.  

“I am proud to nominate 18 outstanding students from Ohio’s Fifth Congressional District to attend one of our U.S. Military Service Academies. Each student brings unique talents and has already demonstrated remarkable readiness at this early stage in their careers. It is an honor to nominate them for consideration. I wish them the very best as they continue through the interview process, and I thank them for pursuing this path of service to our country,” Latta said.  

U.S. Military Academy 

Adam Buell, Pandora, Pandora Gilboa High School 

Jack Buell, Pandora, Pandora Gilboa High School 

Gavin Minich, Bloomdale, Elmwood High School 

Trever Blackburn, Lagrange, Military Academy Preparatory School 

Grant Swain, Norwalk, Sandusky Central Catholic High School 

Tyler Denn, Amherst, Marion L. Steele High School 

Benjamin Beard, Findlay, Liberty Benton High School 

Trevor Grzelak, Avon, Avon High School 

Eli Chevalier, Sycamore, Mohawk High School 

U.S. Naval Academy 

Tyler Denn, Amherst, Marion L. Steele High School 

Eli Chevalier, Sycamore, Mohawk High School 

Benjamin Beard, Findlay, Liberty Benton High School 

Jessica Linden, Wellington, The Ohio State University 

Patrick Fellenstein, Lorain, Marion L. Steele High School 

Edward Kessen, Delphos, Delphos St. John Catholic High School 

Prince Tran, Lorain, New Mexico Military Institute 

Jack Buell, Pandora, Pandora Gilboa High School 

Anderson Rowe, Elyria, Elyria Catholic High School 

Adam Buell, Pandora, Pandora Gilboa High School 

U.S. Air Force Academy 

Michele Smith, Avon, Avon High School 

Anderson Rowe, Elyria, Elyria Catholic High School 

Trevor Grzelak, Avon, Avon High School 

Aidan Stewart, Avon Lake, Avon Lake High School 

Anmithasri Senthilkumar, Findlay, Liberty Benton High School 

Anthony Forthofer, Oberlin, Firelands High School 

Jessica Linden, Wellington, The Ohio State University 

Gavin Minich, Bloomdale, Elmwood High School 

Eli Chevalier, Sycamore, Mohawk High School 

Edward Kessen, Delphos, Delphos St. John Catholic High School 

Prince Tran, Lorain, New Mexico Military Institute 

 

U.S. Merchant Marine Academy 

Prince Tran, Lorain, New Mexico Military Institute 

Anderson Rowe, Elyria, Elyria Catholic High School 

NOTE: A nomination does not guarantee acceptance to an Academy; that responsibility rests with their admissions office. Additional information regarding the academy nomination and application process may be obtained from Congressman Latta’s website at latta.house.gov.  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — Today’s editorial from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board endorses House Republicans’ Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act.

“ObamaCare’s structure was shaky by design, and now Democrats want to keep shovelling out subsidies to hide their errors. Repairing the damage the law has done to competition in healthcare markets is a bigger undertaking than the House bill attempts, but the GOP alternative is far superior to the subsidy status quo,” the Editorial Board wrote.

Read the full WSJ Editorial here or below:

The GOP’s Better Healthcare Ideas

The House bill would expand private insurance options for workers and employers—and reduce costs for taxpayers

Wall Street Journal

Editorial Board

December 16, 2025

Democrats think they have Republicans on the run on healthcare, but maybe not if the GOP fights back. On Friday House Speaker Mike Johnson offered a better alternative to the Democratic proposal to extend pandemic-era subsidies for ObamaCare: Expanding insurance choices for employers and workers. How dare he.

House Republicans plan to vote on their bill this week. The left’s chief criticism is that it doesn’t extend the sweetened ObamaCare subsidies, which expire on Dec. 31. “This so-called plan is the height of irresponsibility,” declared House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. But how is it irresponsible to increase healthcare options at lower cost for taxpayers?

Democrats boosted the ObamaCare subsidies in 2021, purportedly to help those who lost coverage during the pandemic. But the pandemic has long been over, and the richer subsidies are an inducement for fraud. They have also spurred workers to ditch employer coverage for heavily subsidized ObamaCare plans that raise costs for taxpayers.

The GOP bill would make it easier for small businesses to escape the ObamaCare regulatory morass. The bill would expand so-called association health plans that let small employers unite to sponsor group health plans. These plans would reduce premiums by expanding risk pools and give small employers more leverage with insurers.

The plans wouldn’t have to adhere to many costly ObamaCare rules, though they still couldn’t charge more for workers with pre-existing health conditions. Worker premiums for association plans would likely be lower than for ObamaCare plans. Workers might also see an increase in take-home pay if their employer’s insurance costs fall.

Association plans won’t work for all small businesses, but the GOP bill offers another option: Health reimbursement arrangements. These would let employers make tax-free payments for employees to buy their own health insurance in lieu of sponsoring a group plan. Employees would be allowed to buy their own insurance with pretax dollars, which would reduce their costs.

The Republican bill also seeks to reduce ObamaCare premiums by fixing a distortion caused by the law’s convoluted design. ObamaCare requires insurers to reduce deductibles and co-pays for low-income enrollees in benchmark silver plans. No surprise, insurers have raised premiums for these silver plans to offset the cost of these “cost-sharing” reductions.

Because ObamaCare subsidies are pegged to premiums for silver plans, the cost-sharing mandate has resulted in larger subsidies for all plans. The GOP bill would appropriate funds to insurers to pay for ObamaCare’s required cost-sharing reductions. This would reduce premiums for silver plans and, in turn, taxpayer spending on subsidies. A better solution would be to eliminate the cost-sharing mandate, which can make ObamaCare plans more attractive than employer plans for lower-income enrollees.

This is one reason the share of workers who participate in employer medical plans among those with access to them—i.e., the take-up rate—has fallen to 65% from 73% in 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The take-up rate has fallen more among low-earners who get free coverage on the ObamaCare exchanges.

By the way, the Census Bureau’s annual survey of insurance coverage this year showed that the share of Americans with any coverage hasn’t changed since 2019 despite the larger ObamaCare subsidies. Enrollment in employer plans has declined but government and ObamaCare coverage has increased.

Some of the increase in ObamaCare enrollment owes to fraud, as the Paragon Health Institute has documented and the Government Accountability Office recently corroborated. Millions of people have under-reported their incomes to qualify for bigger subsidies, while brokers enroll people in plans without their knowledge to earn bigger commissions.

This year’s GOP tax bill included measures to reduce fraud, such as strengthening income verification, but many reforms don’t kick in until 2028. Ending the enhanced subsidies would at least reduce the incentives for fraud.

Yet Democrats apparently don’t care if the subsidies are gamed. Senate Democrats this week aim to call a vote under the Congressional Review Act to rescind the Administration’s regulatory antifraud reforms, such as requiring minimum $5 premium payments if people don’t actively re-enroll. That’s right, they object a measly $5 incentive to reduce fraud.

ObamaCare’s structure was shaky by design, and now Democrats want to keep shovelling out subsidies to hide their errors. Repairing the damage the law has done to competition in healthcare markets is a bigger undertaking than the House bill attempts, but the GOP alternative is far superior to the subsidy status quo.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10)

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10) and Congressman Randy Weber (TX-29) co-sponsored Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger’s (TN-01) Data Rights for Information and Vehicle Electronics in Real-time (DRIVER) Act to codify vehicle data ownership rights.

The digitization of vehicles and subsequent extensive production of vehicle data, necessitates swift action from Congress. Previously, all essential vehicle information – i.e., mileage, diagnostics, fuel levels, location data, etc. – belonged to the vehicle owner. The DRIVER Act ensures the privacy of this data, bucking the trend of auto manufacturers to effectively erode property and privacy rights.

“Auto manufacturers are secretly tracking where, when, and how you drive – and it’s an obvious threat to your Constitutional right to privacy,” said Congressman Perry. “Our DRIVER Act restores your property rights, ownership of your data, and revokes self-awarded, all-access pass to private property. When you buy a car, it’s yours – to include your vehicle-generated data. The DRIVER Act is a win for common sense and drivers across America.” 

“If you buy the car, you should own the data. It’s that simple,” said Congresswoman Harshbarger. “Automakers have quietly taken control of information that rightfully belongs to consumers. The DRIVER Act restores those property rights, strengthens privacy protections, and ensures no foreign adversary can access Americans’ sensitive vehicle data. This bill puts Americans back in the driver’s seat and protects our data and national security in the digital age.”

“In a day and age where data collection is the new gold rush, Americans shouldn’t lose control over their own personal information just by turning the key in their car,” said Congressman Weber. “Drivers deserve clear ownership of the data their vehicles generate and the peace of mind that it isn’t being misused or sent overseas. I’m proud to work with Congresswoman Harshbarger on the DRIVER Act to implement these common-sense protections, safeguard privacy, and ensure vehicle data stays in the driver’s hands.”

The American Vehicle Owners Alliance also endorses this legislation.

“For too long, automakers have held the keys not just to our vehicles, but also to the data we generate by driving them. This bill is a critical step to restore trust and ensure that American drivers—not just manufacturers—access and control the information generated by their own vehicles. When you buy a car, you should own both the machine and the data it produces. For individual drivers, this means stronger privacy and property rights. For fleet owners and operators, it means fair access to their data, which they need to maintain vehicles, manage safety, and keep their businesses competitive. AVOA urges Congress to pass the DRIVER Act to protect consumers’ property rights, foster competition, and prevent unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on owners’ access to their data.” – Richard Ward, Executive Director of AVOA

You can read the full bill text HERE