{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Republican\", state = \"MN\" and year = 2013 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1380", "Star Tribune Editorial: Broaden the fight on sex trafficking", "2013-11-03", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Article by: EDITORIAL BOARD , Star Tribune\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tNovember 2, 2013 - 5:26 PM\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tMinnesota\u2019s position at the crossroads of two nation-spanning interstate highways. Its proximity to the oil fields of North Dakota. The bustling international shipping port in Duluth. Year-round professional sporting events that make the rapidly growing metro area a popular tourist destination.\r\n\r\n\tThe reasons why the Twin Cities area is one of the nation\u2019s hubs for child prostitution, according to the FBI, are both varied and debatable. What isn\u2019t in dispute is that this shocking designation is a horrifying blight on a state typically known for its natural resources and healthy lifestyles.\r\n\r\n\tAs a longtime health care leader, Minnesota has a moral obligation to be at the forefront in fighting a public-health threat and human-rights abomination: the buying and selling of young girls and boys on the Internet for sex. While state lawmakers have taken some solid but beginning steps to help prostituted children here, Minnesota\u2019s entire congressional delegation needs to rapidly ramp up the fight at the federal level for broader protections.\r\n\r\n\tThe disturbingly youthful victims whose services are advertised in Minnesota and elsewhere on websites like Backpage.com are but a few of the millions entrapped in the commercial sex industry. While many are brought in from other countries, up to 300,000 American children under the age of 18 are recruited into prostitution annually, according to statistics compiled by the respected nonprofit Ark of Hope for Children.\r\n\r\n\tBetween 8,000 and 12,000 people are involved in prostitution or sex trafficking in Minnesota each day, according to information from Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen\u2019s office. Some estimates suggest that the average age of girls trafficked is between 12 and 14 \u2014 a finding that is mirrored in the day-to-day work of one of Minnesota\u2019s foremost advocates for exploited children.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThere are two undeniable trends. There are just more and more of these kids \u2026 and they are also getting younger and younger,\u2019\u2019 said Jeff Bauer, public-policy director for the Twin Cities-based Family Partnership.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cWhen I first started my job back in 2008, the average age of girls coming through was 16, 17, 18 years old. Now we see a lot more 13-, 14-, 15-year-olds, with some as young as 11.\u2019\u2019\r\n\r\n\tFortunately, members of Minnesota\u2019s congressional delegation are stepping up and shouldering their responsibility as policymakers and parents to put in place federal safeguards for exploited children. They\u2019re drawing upon in-state resources like Bauer and respected advocacy organizations such as Breaking Free and the Women\u2019s Foundation of Minnesota. They\u2019re using recently passed state initiatives as the inspiration and building blocks for federal legislation. Paulsen, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan in particular have led on this issue.\r\n\r\n\tIn 2011, legislators took an important step forward by passing the \u201cSafe Harbor\u201d act, which put Minnesota among a handful of states that treat prostituted children as crime victims instead of prosecuting them. While legislators this year fell far short in funding shelters and other protections for victims, Minnesota is still in the vanguard because too little is being done elsewhere. That\u2019s why swift congressional action is needed.\r\n\r\n\tIn late October, Paulsen testified compellingly before Congress about a bipartisan bill he\u2019s introduced that will strengthen law enforcement database information on missing children and, in doing so, help put a spotlight on the high risk that runaway children and those in the foster-care system face for being lured into prostitution. The legislation has strong support from Bauer\u2019s organization and from Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, whose office has put an admirable priority on prosecuting and preventing sex trafficking.\r\n\r\n\tLate last week, Klobuchar announced she will soon introduce \u201cmajor legislation\u201d that will take the Minnesota \u201cSafe Harbor\u201d model national to help minors sold for sex avoid criminal charges and get the help they need. The legislation is also expected to give prosecutors additional tools to fight traffickers.\r\n\r\n\tDemocratic Sen. Al Franken\u2019s office said this week he is supportive of Paulsen\u2019s bill and that he expected to be added as a cosponsor of the Senate companion bill in the next few days and will work to shepherd key components through the committee process.\r\n\r\n\tThere\u2019s no reason the names of any member of the Minnesota congressional delegation should be missing as supporters of these important, potentially lifesaving initiatives. Wielding the state\u2019s considerable congressional influence is critical to passing these measures and getting kids off the street and back in the arms of caring communities as soon as possible.\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online here.\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1359", "MinnPost: Tax unites medical device industry and Minnesota's lawmakers", "2013-10-22", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Tax unites medical device industry and Minnesota's lawmakers\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tBy Devin Henry | 10:00 am\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tWASHINGTON \u2014\u00a0For about six hours last Tuesday, it looked like House Republicans would take another stab at Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen\u2019s top legislative priority: repealing or delaying the tax on medical device sales under President Obama\u2019s health-care law.\r\n\r\n\tTheir effort petered out that night, and Republicans would eventually accept a short-term government funding bill with hardly any GOP demands included. But Paulsen and tax repeal advocates say they see an opening, and, more importantly, momentum for repealing the 2.3 percent tax that is expected to bring in $30 billion to fund Obamacare over the next 10 years.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cSo many people are aware of it because it\u2019s been in the news so often, it\u2019s going to be right there again when we\u2019re talking about the budget issues again in two and a half months,\u201d Paulsen said.\r\n\r\n\tDevice industry groups say the tax, which has brought in about $2 billion in new revenue so far this year, is stifling innovation and growth across the board. Tax supporters have dismissed the concerns, at least for large companies like Medtronic, while admitting the tax \u2014 levied on profits as opposed to revenue \u2014\u00a0might be squeezing small device companies.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThe 10 largest manufacturers have 86 percent of the sales covered by the tax,\u201d said Topher Spiro, an analyst for the liberal Center for American Progress and a former congressional staffer who helped write the Affordable Care Act. He dismissed full repeal efforts, but said, \u201cI think the tax could be even better targeted than it is. The big guys can definitely afford it.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tLawmakers' focus has been either a full repeal \u2014\u00a0Paulsen\u2019s preference \u2014\u00a0or a delay of the tax, which Republican leadership pursued in the final stages of the shutdown fight.\r\n\r\n\tThough that effort failed, repeal supporters say congressional support is growing. Paulsen\u2019s bill has 266 co-sponsors \u2014\u00a0more than half the House \u2014 and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is helping guide the bill through the Senate and at one point pitched it as a shutdown solution, said she\u2019s persuaded a handful of Senate Democrats to sign on to the effort. More than 30 Democrats \u2014 all of them Obamacare supporters \u2014 voted for a non-binding repeal bill in March.\r\n\r\n\tPaulsen, Klobuchar and repeal supporter Sen. Al Franken all said the proposal could move forward either in budget negotiations over the winter or in a broader tax reform effort next year, assuming lawmakers can agree to both one of those larger packages and a way to offset the revenue lost by ending the tax (which is certainly not guaranteed).\r\n\r\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve gained so much momentum to either have it now or have it in the larger budget discussions, which we want to have at the end of the year or in January,\u201d Klobuchar said last week. \u201cI think there is a lot of positive development on that front, no matter what bill it\u2019s on.\u201d\r\n\r\n\t'Plain vanilla constituent service'\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tShaye Mandle, the CEO of Minnesota-based tech group LifeScience Alley, said there is a two-fold lobbying effort underway to get the tax off the books: National groups lobby leadership and connected lawmakers in D.C. while groups based in states with a heavy tech prescience \u2014\u00a0Minnesota, Massachusetts, etc. \u2014\u00a0focus on their delegations. Their efforts have won support from interesting sources: a handful of liberals like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have supported repealing the tax, as does the entire Minnesota House delegation, Twin Cities Democrats and all.\r\n\r\n\tConsidering the size of the device industry in many of these Democrats\u2019 states, it\u2019s not that surprising they\u2019re backing repeal, University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs said. He called it \u201cplain vanilla constituent service\u201d for a lawmaker to back an industry\u2019s priorities when that industry is so influential in their state.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cFor Klobuchar or Franken, you\u2019d be surprised if they weren\u2019t fighting to protect one of the major industries in Minnesota,\" he said. \"In a sense, that\u2019s their job.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tThe industry spreads its cash around as well, and Minnesotans benefit: Paulsen received the most House contributions from the medical supplies industry last cycle, $113,000. Klobuchar ($90,000) was third among senators last cycle and Franken ($12,950) is the industry\u2019s second-favorite senator so far this year.\r\n\r\n\tPaulsen dismissed the donations in a Politico article last week, saying, \u201cThis is about saving lives; it\u2019s about helping patients.\u201d Jacobs said the industry\u2019s tactics have been about par for the course.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI think it\u2019s the usual bag of tricks: it\u2019s campaign contributions, it\u2019s lobbying, the med tech industry spends a lot of time with Minnesota\u2019s senators,\u201d he said. \u201cJust substitute whatever the favored state industry is and you\u2019d see the same dynamic playing out in every state.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tIdea behind the tax\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tThe basic idea behind the device tax \u2014\u00a0as well as those on pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and insurance companies as a whole \u2014\u00a0is that the Affordable Care Act would grow the pool of potential device users so much to warrant a new tax to help fund the law.\r\n\r\n\tCompanies and lobbying groups say they haven\u2019t seen that higher demand yet, though they\u2019ve had to pay the tax for more than 10 months. They argue the ACA is unlikely to grow a new base of device users at all \u2014\u00a0many who need the products are older and already covered by some type of health insurance.\r\n\r\n\tBut tax supporters say business should pick up once the bulk of the law, including the individual insurance-coverage mandate, kicks in down the road. They point to a much-cited Wall Street report that predicts the device industry will eventually recoup all of the tax\u2019s expenses through increased demand for its products.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cYou should start to see it this year once coverage gains steam,\u201d Spiro said. \u201cEnrollment this year isn\u2019t going to be full projected enrollment under the law. Device manufacturers can expect revenue to slowly increase.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tIndustry lobbying groups say there\u2019s already a pressing need to repeal the tax, warning it\u2019s hurt venture capital investment in medical technology and led to stagnant company growth and, in some cases, layoffs \u2014 Paulsen said there have been as many as 10,000 so far.\r\n\r\n\tMandle said big companies are shedding their research and development budgets and cutting positions while small companies have been unable to grow their businesses.\r\n\r\n\tMinnesota impact\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tIn Minnesota, med tech giants say they\u2019ve already factored the tax into their business expenses. Medtronic told the Star Tribune it will pay up to $120 million because of the tax next fiscal year, on profits of $16.6 billion. St. Jude, which saw $5.6 billion in revenue last fiscal year, will pay up to $60 million.\r\n\r\n\tA handful of smaller Minnesota companies say the tax is mostly delaying hiring. That\u2019s the case for Clarus Medical, whose CFO, Randy Gatzke, said the tax is essentially a worthless expense for his company \u2014\u00a0he compared it to an employee who shows up and punches his time card, but who just sits around and refuses to work all day. The company tried to pass on the cost as a new line-item charge to its customers, but \u201cthe longer the year went on the less tolerant they became of it,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been eating that for a number of months here.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tJennifer Ness said her company, Medsource, a 20-person outfit in Mound, is looking to expand its product development department, but it, too, has had to cover the cost since its customers won\u2019t pay.\r\n\r\n\tShe also questioned whether Medsource would see any of the new device business promised by the law.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cMost of our products are for emergency medical services,\u201d she said. \u201cEmergencies aren\u2019t going to increase just because everyone has health insurance.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tJoseph Shultz, the vice president of Nascent Surgical, said his company has struggled to attract new investors and said the tax may be pushing technology businesses out of the country (tax supporters say this fear is overblown, since the tax applies to the sale of all devices in the United States, foreign-made or otherwise). When foreign business groups have tried convincing Schultz and others to move off-shore, \u201cit\u2019s been pretty convincing,\u201d he said. \u201cI think if I were to start this thing again, I don\u2019t think it would be in Minnesota.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tRead the entire piece online here.\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1360", "Star Tribune: Tea Party may have hurt chances for device tax repeal", "2013-10-21", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Tea Party may have hurt chances for device tax repeal \r\n\r\n\tArticle by: JIM SPENCER , Star Tribune\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tUpdated: October 21, 2013 - 4:29 PM\r\n\r\n\tWASHINGTON \u2013 Business and political leaders trying to repeal the medical device tax connected to national health care reform hope to build on the publicity the tax received during the recent government shutdown and debt ceiling crisis.\r\n\r\n\tBut as the nation\u2019s budget negotiations continue in the weeks ahead, the push to kill the device tax as part of the ill-fated effort to defund the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, may have created as many problems as opportunities for those who want the tax dead.\r\n\r\n\tRepealing the device levy became \u201cthe shield at the front of the army\u201d of Tea Party congressional lawmakers who pushed for a shutdown and near default to eliminate Obamacare, said Don Kettl, dean of the University of Maryland\u2019s School of Public Policy. Fair or not, the medical technology industry\u2019s goal to kill the tax will be associated with the fallout of that political failure, he added.\r\n\r\n\t\u201c[Devicemakers] were swept underneath the same tent,\u201d Kettl said. \u201cThey ended up finding themselves aligned with it.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tLawmakers who pushed the device tax repeal into the battle strongly reject the notion that their goal has been compromised.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t have any reservations that [device tax repeal] has been tarnished at all,\u201d said Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota, who wanted the tax\u2019s repeal made part of any House budget bill. \u201cIf anything, we have gained more support going forward.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tDevicemakers, including hundreds from Minnesota, have been paying the 2.3 percent tax on certain device sales since Jan. 1, pouring an estimated $2 billion into the federal treasury. The collections help pay for the expansion of health care coverage under Obamacare.\r\n\r\n\tBut the device tax is the bane of Minnesota\u2019s mammoth medical technology sector. Device companies say the levy will stifle employment and innovation, asserting that the tax could cost 43,000 jobs over the next decade.\r\n\r\n\tThe tax\u2019s supporters, however, say any ill effects are overstated because Obamacare will provide devicemakers with enough newly insured patients to offset the cost of the tax.\r\n\r\n\tUltimately, a repeal of the device tax was not included in last week\u2019s legislation to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. But the decision to include an elimination of the tax in the Republicans\u2019 unsuccessful attempt to defund Obamacare has sparked differing views about the tactical wisdom.\r\n\r\n\tPaulsen concedes that Tea Party demands to kill or diminish President Obama\u2019s signature legislation kept the device tax repeal from playing a more positive role in the shutdown/debt ceiling saga.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cIf we [Republicans] had more realistic attitudes or expectations about what was achievable, [repealing the tax] could have been the linchpin that would have solved the whole impasse a whole lot earlier,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n\tStill, Paulsen expects the device tax repeal to be part of a budget deal required by Dec. 13 under legislation passed last week to reopen the government and raise the debt limit. If not, he expects it to be part of a tax reform plan or part of a continuing resolution funding the government.\r\n\r\n\tSen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who worked with a bipartisan group to fashion a compromise last week, attempted to get the device tax repeal \u2014 or a two-year timeout for collecting it \u2014 into the final agreement that reopened government and raised the debt ceiling. Still, she remains optimistic about the chances of killing the tax.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI think it\u2019s pretty clear that it will continue to be on the table going forward,\u201d Klobuchar said.\r\n\r\n\tFormer Minnesota congressman Vin Weber, now a Washington lobbyist, said having the device tax repeal mentioned in talks among Senate moderates should \u201cimmunize\u201d the device industry from any association with the negative politics of the shutdown and debt ceiling debate.\r\n\r\n\tPutting the device tax repeal into the House\u2019s proposal for ending the government shutdown attracted \u201cunprecedented attention,\u201d even though it failed, said Stephen Ubl, head of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, the device industry\u2019s leading trade group. He, like Paulsen, thinks the device tax repeal benefited from the attention.\r\n\r\n\tBut the public will also focus on the shutdown and why the device industry was singled out among all the health-care-related businesses being asked to help pay for Obamacare, said congressional expert Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cKeeping the government shut unless you bail out the medical device industry is not necessarily good news for the industry,\u201d Ornstein said.\r\n\r\n\tWith the Affordable Care Act still in the cross hairs of many Republicans, Kettl believes it will be increasingly difficult for Democrats to embrace a repeal of the device tax, because it undermines health care reform and makes the effort seem partisan.\r\n\r\n\tAssociating the device tax repeal with the government shutdown or potential default \u201cwas not a savvy move,\u201d said Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, who represents Minneapolis. \u201cThe industry should have actually discouraged that.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tAt a minimum, Ellison said, proponents of the tax\u2019s repeal will have to offer a clear alternative for the $30 billion that will be lost over 10 years if the device tax is eliminated. A new proposal to replace the device tax by recalculating pensions may be too confusing, he added.\r\n\r\n\tPaul Van de Water, an economist who studies health issues at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, says the device industry has exaggerated the effects of the tax.\r\n\r\n\tThe tax applies to foreign-made medical devices imported to the U.S., as well as to American-made devices sold in this country, Van de Water said, but it does not apply to American-made devices sold abroad. An AdvaMed-sponsored study \u201cassumed that the tax would reduce the competitiveness of U.S. firms with foreign firms. That\u2019s absolutely false.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tMost analysts, including Van de Water, agree that paying the tax could be a challenge for some smaller companies with narrow profit margins, but not for major corporations. Fridley-based Medtronic Inc., the country\u2019s largest devicemaker, believes the tax will cost the company $120 million in fiscal 2014, which is less than one percent of its $16.6 billion in net sales in fiscal 2013.\r\n\r\n\tStudies by two investment firms reached opposite conclusions about devicemakers\u2019 ability to pay for the tax with increased sales to new patients getting health insurance from Obamacare.\r\n\r\n\tA 2012 report by Roth Capital Partners said the new patient market would be small because most medical device recipients are in their 60s or 70s and already receive devices paid for by Medicare. Only 2 percent of the uninsured Americans covered by Obamacare are over 65, Roth\u2019s researchers said.\r\n\r\n\tHowever, from 2000 to 2010, knee, hip and pacemaker implants grew at far greater percentages for patients ages 18 to 64 than for those over 65, according to data from the U.S. Agency for Health Care Quality and Research.\r\n\r\n\tIn an April 2013 report titled \u201cHealth Care Coverage Expansion a Shot in the Arm for Med Tech,\u201d Wells Fargo Securities predicted an industrywide sales increase of 3.6 percent from 2012 to 2022. \u201cWe believe this will be sufficient to offset the 2.3 percent med-tech tax,\u201d the authors concluded.\r\n\r\n\tSign-ups for expanded health insurance under the Affordable Care Act began Oct. 1, and the effort to register people online has been beset with website problems. Determining their economic impact on medical device makers will be little more than speculation for months, if not years, experts say.\r\n\r\n\tIn the meantime, Kettl offered a political observation that he believes will be a major factor as Congress debates the tax\u2019s future.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThe longer the medical device tax remains on the books,\u201d he said, \u201cthe harder it is to repeal.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article here.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1362", "Minnesota Republicans saw little choice on fiscal compromise", "2013-10-17", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "MN Republicans saw little choice on fiscal compromise \r\n\r\n\tArticle by: Kevin Diaz\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tStar Tribune\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tOctober 17, 2013 - 10:36 AM\r\n\r\n\tWASHINGTON \u2013 From Congress, a pair of Minnesota Republicans send their regrets.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s not where we wanted to be, there\u2019s no question about that,\u201d said Rep. John Kline, a close ally of House Speaker John Boehner. \u201cWe had hoped to make more progress toward getting more fairness in Obamacare. We didn\u2019t get that.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tBut Kline, along with Minnesota Republican Erik Paulsen, felt he had no choice but to take the deal that emerged Wednesday from frenzied negotiations between Republican and Democratic leaders in the Senate.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI think the Republican brand has suffered under what has taken place,\u201d said Paulsen, who, like Kline, represents a district that went to President Obama in the 2012 election.\r\n\r\n\tBoth took flak from the right and left, particularly from Democrats, who portrayed the two swing-district Republicans as hostages to the GOP\u2019s Tea Party wing, which sought to make the government spending resolution a referendum on blocking the new health care law.\r\n\r\n\tThe only other Minnesota Republican in Congress, Tea Party stalwart Michele Bachmann, voted against the 11th-hour agreement that ended the government shutdown and averted Thursday\u2019s deadline to begin defaulting on the national debt.\r\n\r\n\tBachmann, however, has long since announced she is not running for re-election. It will be up to Kline and Paulsen \u2014 and much of the House GOP leadership \u2014 to pick up the pieces of what some Tea Party groups are calling \u201cunconditional surrender.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tBoth men, who were among 87 Republicans voting for the deal, vowed to fight on in the next round of debt and deficit negotiations that will follow what has been a 16-day impasse. The deal passed the House on a 285-144 vote; no Democrats voted against the deal.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s fair to say virtually none of us like this deal,\u201d Kline said after coming out of a sobering GOP caucus meeting. \u201cBut it\u2019s a question of tactics now. Do we move forward? We have upcoming events where we will try to push for the things that we think are important.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tKline faces what could be a spirited rematch with former DFL state Rep. Mike Obermueller, who lost to Kline by 8 percentage points last year. Obermueller released a statement Wednesday accusing Kline of \u201creckless partisanship\u201d that risked the nation\u2019s credit rating. \u201cJust another reminder that Congressman Kline is part of the problem in Washington,\u201d Obermueller said.\r\n\r\n\tKline, in his sixth term, also faces another GOP primary challenge by \u201cgrass roots\u201d candidate David Gerson, who faults Kline for his New Year\u2019s Eve fiscal cliff vote that averted another financial crisis by letting tax rates rise on the wealthiest taxpayers.\r\n\r\n\tGOP activists in Kline\u2019s Second Congressional District south of the Twin Cities say he has little to worry about. \u201cHe\u2019s considered to be a very reasonable congressman,\u201d said Jeff Lorsung, the district\u2019s deputy GOP chairman. \u201cSome on the far right would call that squishy. But as it relates to electability, that puts him where people want him to be.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tPaulsen, who voted against the fiscal cliff deal last January, has no declared Democratic opponent in the Third District. But party operatives in Washington have been trying to recruit one, pushing out internal polling in recent days purporting to show him vulnerable on the shutdown issue.\r\n\r\n\tPaulsen, however, was able to use the crisis to push for the repeal of a new tax under the health care law that is opposed by Medtronic and other large medical device companies in Minnesota. \u201cI can absolutely tell my constituents that I\u2019ve been working on finding solutions to break the logjam,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n\tThe repeal of the medical device tax, which is unpopular with many Democrats as well as Republicans, was seen for a while as a potential linchpin for compromise. In the end, however, it was dropped.\r\n\r\n\tStill, the issue allowed Paulsen to distance himself from the conservative hard-liners who pressed for what turned out to be a futile shutdown strategy.\r\n\r\n\tWith the benefit of hindsight, both Kline and Paulsen acknowledge the flaws in the House GOP strategy of forcing a series of votes tying continued funding of the government to ending or delaying Obama\u2019s health care overhaul. \u201cI don\u2019t think it was the best way to start,\u201d Kline said. \u201cThere were some in my conference who were persuaded by, frankly, the junior senator from Texas [Ted Cruz] \u2026 so we are where we are.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tBoth Kline and Paulsen went along with those votes, one of which tied continued government funding to repealing the medical device tax.\r\n\r\n\tBoth emphasize they were votes to keep the government open \u2014 albeit with conditions the Democrats would not accept.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cI never had any option,\u201d said Paulsen, noting that House leaders did not bring a so-called clean funding resolution that would have allowed members to vote to reopen government without conditions.\r\n\r\n\tAmid the angst and recrimination, Democrats and Republicans in Congress pointed to the near-economic cataclysm as an object lesson.\r\n\r\n\tThat was particularly true for the two Minnesota Republicans most on the bubble because of the political dynamics of their districts and the growing sense of public frustration on both sides.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cAs a Republican, I think it\u2019s important for our party to understand that we need to be for positive solutions, and not just always saying no,\u201d Paulsen said.\r\n\r\n\tSaid Kline: \u201cThis is a time for all of us for reflection.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online here.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1363", "Republicans say Obama might deal on medical device tax", "2013-10-11", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Republicans say Obama might deal on medical device tax \r\n\r\n\tPosted by: Kevin Diaz \r\n\r\n\tUpdated: October 11, 2013 - 5:31 PM\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tRepeal of a device tax that has hit Minnesota medical technology companies hard could be the sweetener that breaks the deadlock over the debt limit and the government shutdown, which went into its 11th day Friday.\r\n\r\n\tA repeal the 2.3 percent medical device tax levied under President Obama\u2019s health care law was part of a package Senate Republicans brought to the White House Friday. The offer would temporarily raise the debt ceiling and fund the government, which has been shut down since Oct. 1.\r\n\r\n\tMaine Republican Susan Collins told reporters afterwards that Obama did not reject the idea of repealing the medical device tax out of hand. She was quoted saying \u201che clearly also recognizes that it is not the heart of Obamacare.\u201d Her account was seconded by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, who said the president called the tax a \u201clegitimate concern\u201d that might not be an integral part of the new health care law.\r\n\r\n\tThe Minnesota congressional delegation has uniformly opposed the tax, which has cost large medical technology companies like St. Jude and Medtronic millions of dollars already. But Democrats in the delegation largely oppose making the device tax, or any aspect of Obamacare, part of the budget fight.\r\n\r\n\tRepublicans, on the other hand, have tied several measures defunding or delaying Obamacare to a spending resolution that would reopen the government.\r\n\r\n\tMinnesota Republican Erik Paulsen, working with Democrat Ron Kind of Wisconsin, has been pushing behind the scenes in the House to offer up a device tax repeal as a compromise. The question remains, however, whether that alone would be enough for Republicans, or whether Democrats would even put it on the table.\r\n\r\n\tSome House Democratic leaders reacted with dismay at the prospect of repealing a tax that is expected to raise $30 billion to help fund the new health care law over the next decade. New York Democrats Joe Crowley, vice chairman of the Democratic caucus, lampooned the proposal.\r\n\r\n\tBut with closed-door talks intensifying Friday to end the impasse, it remained hard to predict whether the tax will stay on or go off.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online here.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1270", "Patent trolls collect \"nuisance fees\" and political enemies", "2013-06-17", "2013", "2013-06", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Article by: JIM SPENCER , Star Tribune Updated: June 15, 2013 - 9:32 PM\r\n\r\n\tFirms insist they perform a valuable function in buying up intellectual property.\r\n\r\n\tWASHINGTON \u2013 Mason Cos. of Chippewa Falls, Wis., sells shoes, women\u2019s clothing and general merchandise on the Internet and through mail-order catalogs. It does not produce or market computers or their components.\r\n\r\n\tYet six times in the past three years the 100-year-old business has been sued for infringing on software patents. Each time, the company felt no choice but to pay a licensing fee to avoid litigation costing 10 times as much to adjudicate.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s a shakedown,\u201d Mason\u2019s general counsel Tim Scobie said.\r\n\r\n\tMason is one of thousands of U.S. businesses targeted each year by patent trolls, companies that invent nothing but buy patents from companies and individuals that do. Critics say the trolls then file multiple suits in hopes of collecting licensing fees from people and businesses too poor or too busy to fight them in court.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cYou end up with companies that aren\u2019t making anything, trying to extract a nuisance fee,\u201d explained Tom Cotter, a patent expert at the University of Minnesota Law School.\r\n\r\n\tCotter said the number of \u201cpatent assertion entities\u201d and \u201cnon-practicing entities\u201d \u2014 the formal names for trolls \u2014 has increased dramatically in the past few years. The growth stems from an explosion of patents for minute bits of information technology and broadly applicable business methods.\r\n\r\n\tFor example, a single smartphone may contain thousands of patented parts, or a single patented business method could be applied to thousands of different circumstances.\r\n\r\n\tCompanies that buy and enforce patents generally reject the label of trolls. They say they have a legitimate business and provide a necessary way for small companies or individuals to receive payment for their intellectual property.\r\n\r\n\tA spokeswoman for Intellectual Ventures, one of the country\u2019s biggest non-practicing entities, declined to be interviewed. But a blog entry by the company\u2019s founder, Peter Detkin, summed up the philosophy: \u201cThe owner of the [intellectual property] is irrelevant; the fact of the [intellectual property] is what matters.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tA recent survey by RPX Corp., a patent risk management firm, showed that patent trolls filed 62 percent of all patent infringement claims in 2012, up from 19 percent in 2006. The cost of legal fees and settlements from patent troll suits grew from $5.3 billion in 2008 to $10.9 billion in 2012.\r\n\r\n\tThe issue has reached such proportions that the White House declared war on patent trolls. Earlier this month, President Obama outlined legislative and regulatory fixes for a situation he said is hurting America\u2019s high-tech innovation and putting the country at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy.\r\n\r\n\tPatent assertion entities, said the president, \u201cleverage and hijack somebody else\u2019s idea and see if they can extort some money out of them.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tMass filings of infringement suits for a single patent are an expensive, time-consuming distraction to businesses and people who must defend themselves, said Dan McDonald, a patent attorney with the Minneapolis firm of Merchant & Gould, who just published a book on patent trolls.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThe main impact,\u201d he said, \u201cis that companies have to spend money on lawyers instead of research and development.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tBut McDonald said companies sometimes must push back. He recently persuaded a small Minnesota medical device maker to challenge the validity of patents cited in three troll suits.\r\n\r\n\tSt. Paul-based 3M has interests on both sides of the issue. 3M needs to enforce the patents it receives to protect a $1.5 billion annual research and development effort, said Kevin Rhodes, the company\u2019s vice president for intellectual property. But 3M also has been a target of patent infringement claims by companies that don\u2019t develop or make products.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re not labeling anyone,\u201d Rhodes said last week as he moved around Capitol Hill talking to members of Congress about patent issues. But \u201cthere are some unfortunate practices that have developed.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tWhile 3M worries that proposed legislation could make it harder for inventors to protect their intellectual property, the company has offered sample language for a law that would make it easier to see when shell companies buy up old patents and sue. Also, 3M has crafted language for a law that would make it easier to sanction those bringing frivolous patent suits.\r\n\r\n\tThe House and Senate seem poised to act, as they did two years ago when they agreed to the America Invents Act, the first comprehensive patent reform in more than 50 years.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cPatent trolls are a clear drag on innovation,\u201d Sen. Amy Klobuchar said. \u201cThis is not just some made-up anecdotal problem.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tThe Minnesota Democrat expects to examine the issue as part of a larger patent hearing she will hold as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee\u2019s Anti-Trust Subcommittee.\r\n\r\n\tRep. Erik Paulsen, a Republican representing Minnesota\u2019s Third Congressional District, believes the House and Senate will come quickly to a bipartisan agreement.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThere is abuse that\u2019s going on,\u201d he said of patent trolls. \u201cThe challenge is to target the abusers in an effective way without casting too wide a net.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tThe way patent laws work, anyone who makes, sells or uses a legally patented device, technology or idea without paying a licensing fee breaks the law, the U\u2019s Cotter said. This fact has led patent assertion entities and non-practicing entities deep into the supply and demand chain.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cThey blanket the country with suits on the hunch that some people will pay,\u201d Mike Lafeber of Minneapolis law firm Briggs and Morgan said. \u201cThey have stepped over a line.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tA decade ago, \u201cpatent owners rarely if ever sued consumers,\u201d Cotter noted. \u201cToday they might go after a coffee shop for using wireless technology.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tOr they might go after an online seller like Mason Cos. for using software it had no role in developing or selling. What started more than a century ago as a shoemaking company is being coerced into paying licensing fees merely \u201cfor selling stuff on the Internet,\u201d Scobie said.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s not Oracle calling us up saying we\u2019re using their spreadsheet,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s law firms that bought a bunch of patents at a fire sale.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tPaying off those people is a \u201cgut-wrenching ordeal,\u201d Scobie said. But it is also an inevitable business decision.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cWe are a small organization in a small town,\u201d he said. \u201cIf it\u2019s going to cost us $25,000 for a license fee or it\u2019s going to cost us $250,000 to fight, don\u2019t even bother asking me.\u201d\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online here.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1234", "Paulsen Talks Tax Reform for Politico's Morning Tax", "2013-05-03", "2013", "2013-05", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Morning Tax\u00a0 \r\n\r\n\tBy Lauren French | 5/2/13 6:01 AM EDT\r\n\r\n\tWith help from Alysha Love\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tPAULSEN: SUMMER WILL BE FILLED WITH DISCUSSION DRAFTS, HEARINGS. Rep. Erik Paulsen is ready. Ready for more meetings, discussion drafts and hearings if the process could push lawmakers toward a true comprehensive scrub of the tax code \u2014 and he\u2019s about to get this wish with the Ways and Means Committee slated to begin meetings next week. \u201cI think these meetings are going to be opportunities to show where there is consensus, but there is still going to be differences of opinion, so it will be helpful to show everyone where those differences of opinions might be. It has been a helpful process for all of us to learn what is important to different members or constituencies. We need to come together and see where we can add some consensus and just move forward,\u201d Paulsen told Morning Tax from a snowy Minnesota.\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tAs lawmakers spend the summer in and out of D.C., Paulsen, who joined the retirement and pensions reform group, said there will be continued efforts to better understand the code \u2014 and how to reform it. \u201cThe chairman has been very clear that we\u2019re going to produce a bill this year, a tax reform measure. I would not be surprised if additional discussion drafts were released that were products of the workings groups because those discussion drafts have allowed us to build a good basis upon some needed reforms. We\u2019ll easily fill the summer months with additional hearings and some of the working groups actually are likely to continue to meet on their own,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\n\t####", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1213", "Trade pact with E.U. would benefit Minnesota", "2013-04-22", "2013", "2013-04", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Trade pact with E.U. would benefit Minnesota \r\n \r\n\tLowering tariffs, streamlining regulations means more jobs. \r\n\r\n\tBy Star Tribune Editorial Board\r\n\r\n\tThe Obama administration may have signaled a strategic \u201cpivot\u201d to East Asia, but it hasn\u2019t forgotten that the world\u2019s largest economic relationship is between the United States and the European Union.\r\n\r\n\tSo it was welcome news when President Obama announced in his State of the Union Address in February that the administration would begin negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the E.U.\r\n\r\n\tAs with previous free trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and bilateral pacts with South Korea and other countries, an eventual agreement would seek to eliminate, reduce or prevent tariffs and quotas on goods and services, as well as make regulations more compatible between the United States and the 27 nations that comprise the E.U.\r\n\r\n\tU.S.-E.U. trade is already robust. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, about $2.7 billion in goods a day flows between U.S.-E.U. borders. In 2012, the United States shipped $265.1 billion worth of goods to E.U. nations. While that was down 1.2 percent from 2011, it represented a 57 percent increase since 2000.\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tTHE UPSIDE\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cThe reality is with so many different countries involved in bilateral trade negotiations, having the E.U. and the United States work together on this transatlantic opportunity is really going to bring other trade agreements up to the 21st century, as well as leverage the opportunity for countries like China that haven\u2019t been playing by similar rules to make sure that their standards are brought up to ours. And I think that is going to help the entire world economy.\u201d\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t-Rep. ERIK PAULSEN, R-Minn.\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\tU.S. exports of private commercial services were valued at $194 billion in 2012 \u2014 a 2.8 percent increase from 2011 and a 108 percent spike since 2000.\r\n\r\n\tU.S. agricultural exports totaled $9.9 billion in 2012 and, together, U.S. and E.U. investors owned about $3.7 trillion in direct investment in each other\u2019s economies.\r\n\r\n\tWhile the tariffs between the United States and the E.U. are already relatively low, the scale of the trade relationships suggests that even small adjustments could mean big economic gains. Even more upside exists if standards are aligned between the two trading partners.\r\n\r\n\tAnd the scope of the world\u2019s largest trading relationship means that an agreement might kick-start the stalled \u201cDoha Round\u201d of World Trade Organization talks. Already, many countries are rushing to fill the trade vacuum with bilateral pacts. But a U.S.-E.U. pact could offer \u201ca de-facto rule-setting for the rest of the world,\u201d said Joshua Meltzer, a fellow in global economy and development at the Brookings Institution.\r\n\r\n\tThat\u2019s not just a U.S.-centric view, according to Ambassador Jukka Pietikainen, the consul general of Finland in New York. Pietikainen, Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen and others were in Minneapolis on Monday for a trade discussion organized by the Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Minnesota and the Minnesota International Center.\r\n\r\n\t\u201cWe need to set the standards, and since the WTO negotiations have stalled completely maybe this would give a boost for those negotiations \u2026 and then maybe Europe and the United States would have an upper hand on the setting of global standards,\u201d Pietikainen told an editorial writer.\r\n\r\n\tCloser to home, the trade stakes are high for Minnesota, too.\r\n\r\n\tState exports totaled $5.13 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. The E.U., along with North America, led the way with 6 percent growth. Overall, the E.U. is Minnesota\u2019s third-largest export market, accounting for 20 percent of all sales.\r\n\r\n\tMinnesota\u2019s manufacturing base, particularly its medical device industry, as well as its services, stands to gain from expanded, streamlined transatlantic trade. More trade means more jobs.\r\n\r\n\tOf course, as with previous pacts, a U.S.-E.U. trade agreement would need to adhere to appropriate labor and environmental standards, among other key details. So it\u2019s too early to advocate for a specific deal. But it\u2019s not too early to laud the president and the bipartisan members of Congress who are working to expand the already strong economic and political ties with Europe.\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online here.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tLearn more about Rep. Paulsen\u2019s work on advancing U.S. \u2013 EU trade relations http://ow.ly/kdXWf.\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1214", "Op-ED: Medical Device Tax Needs To Go", "2013-04-22", "2013", "2013-04", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "By Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) & Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI)\r\n\r\n\tAn encouraging thing happened last month in the U.S. Senate. An overwhelming number of Republicans and Democrats came together in taking a step toward ending a policy that is having unintended consequences on job creation and innovation.\r\n\r\n\tAmericans are clearly frustrated, and rightly so, by the lack of progress in Congress to spur job creation, economic growth and the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America unique. This is why we were pleasantly surprised at the strong measure of bipartisan support the Senate gave to repealing the medical device tax, an onerous policy that is harming a great American success story.\r\n\r\n\tAs the lead cosponsors of legislation in the House of Representatives to put an end to this unfortunate policy, we know that repeal can\u2019t come soon enough for patient care and job creation.\r\n\r\n\tThe medical-device industry is responsible for nearly 2 million American jobs and has led the world in developing new technologies. In an economic environment where domestic manufacturing is an important part of our recovery, these are the very-high-tech manufacturing jobs we need to ensure stay here at home. American workers are now competing on a global stage, and medical technology is one of the few successfully exporting industries in the country. In fact, medical exports doubled between 1998 and 2008, to $33 billion annually. We often hear that America needs to \u201cstart making things again\u201d to help turn this economy around. Medical-device innovators are doing just that.\r\n\r\n\tUnfortunately, in an effort to fund the Affordable Care Act, a new 2.3 percent excise tax was placed on medical devices. For full disclosure, one of us opposed the Affordable Care Act and the other strongly supported it, while wanting to make sure the bill was fully paid for. We both agree that the tax is harmful, and now, as the Affordable Care Act is being implemented, the impact is even more apparent.\r\n\r\n\tAs we move forward in repealing the tax, with a bipartisan group of 235 of our colleagues in the House who support this legislation, we must also find another pay-for \u2014 one that won\u2019t jeopardize innovation or jobs \u2014 so we don\u2019t add to our nation\u2019s debt.\r\n\r\n\tThe impact of the tax is already being felt through layoffs at device manufacturers around the country. Over the long term, the device tax will also limit access to life-improving and life-saving innovations. We continue to hear of potential layoffs and cuts in research and development as companies scramble to pay their share of the tax. With 62 percent of medical-device companies employing less than 20 employees, and 98 percent employing less than 500, many of the hardest-hit companies are the very small businesses that are the lifeblood of our country.\r\n\r\n\tAt the beginning of 2013, the first medical-device tax payments were collected from med-tech companies across the United States. Rather than putting that money toward cutting-edge advancements in health care or adding more jobs, the companies sent approximately $388 million to the federal government. This is just the beginning of what is expected to be a $30 billion tax. While some have suggested that device manufacturers will reap a windfall of new business from the expansion of health coverage, that has not proved to be the case in Massachusetts, where there is near-universal coverage. Many of the newly insured will be relatively young and unlikely to need device-intensive procedures.\r\n\r\n\tIn Congress and communities across the nation, we continue to debate and discuss ways to make our health care system more effective and affordable, but we agree that implementing policies that punish innovators shouldn\u2019t be a part of the plan.\r\n\r\n\tWhen 79 senators vote in support of repealing the medical-device tax as a part of the budget resolution, it is clear that Congress wants to put an end to this policy.\r\n\r\n\tThe urgency is real, and it\u2019s time to act.\r\n\r\n\tErik Paulsen, a Republican, represents Minnesota\u2019s Third District in the U.S. House. Ron Kind, a Democrat, represents Wisconsin\u2019s Third District.\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online here.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tLearn more about Rep. Paulsen\u2019s work on repealing the medical device tax here.\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://paulsen.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=105&itemid=1207", "The Hill: Restoring financial flexibility in healthcare", "2013-04-11", "2013", "2013-04", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Erik Paulsen", "P000594", "paulsen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "By Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) \r\n\r\n\tThree years to the day after President Obama signed into law his massive healthcare overhaul, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure to repeal two provisions limiting families\u2019 freedoms. For a brief moment in Washington, politics took a back seat, and the needs of nearly 33 million Americans were addressed.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\tThese families, who take the initiative to budget for their healthcare expenses using flexible spending accounts (FSAs) or health savings accounts (HSAs), were some of the first to feel the impacts of the president\u2019s health law. It requires them to obtain a doctor\u2019s prescription to purchase over-the-counter (OTC) medications with their own money set aside specifically to cover health-related expenses. Beginning this year, it places a $2,500 cap on FSA contributions, limiting families\u2019 abilities to use specialized accounts to pay for medical expenses sometimes not covered by health insurance.\r\n\r\n\tThe amendment that passed as a part of the Senate budget resolution mirrors legislation we recently introduced to restore fairness and flexibility for the millions of Americans affected by these mandates. The Family Health Care Flexibility Act reinstates the original functions of these plans by eliminating the HSA and FSA prescription requirements for OTC medications and removing the arbitrary FSA cap. Recognizing the need to restore flexibility, the Senate approved this legislation in a bipartisan fashion. Without repealing these restrictions, patients in need of real medical care must endure longer waits as physicians\u2019 schedules become cluttered with folks seeking OTC prescriptions to remedy minor maladies. Doctors are already in short supply, and demand will dramatically increase next year when 30 million more patients enter the health care market because of the law. But the health law\u2019s penalties on these families don\u2019t stop there. The new cap, limiting FSA annual contributions to a mere $2,500, places significant burdens on families with expenses that may not be covered by their insurance. Families who once used their FSAs to budget for their child\u2019s braces, an expense that could cost $7,000, are now stuck finding other ways to cover these costs. This arbitrary cap is especially difficult for families who have children with special needs. Specialized education for these children can cost up to $14,000 a year, well above the new FSA annual ceiling. The National Down Syndrome Society and the National Center for Learning Disabilities both back our legislation to remove these barriers for families budgeting to help their children reach their potential. Neither restriction improves healthcare access or quality. They are ploys aimed at making the $2.6 trillion health law look less costly by collecting more taxes from folks who plan ahead for their health care needs. Rather than denying flexibility so many American families depend on, Washington should work to promote and protect programs that help lower the cost of healthcare and allow individuals to make better healthcare choices. Republicans and Democrats alike can appreciate the common sense in restoring a thoughtful approach to healthcare. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle represent a growing number of Americans becoming ensnared in costly and burdensome provisions slowly rolling out as a result of the health law. And as the law\u2019s mandates become more and more evident, public support continues to disintegrate. We applaud the Senate for giving this legislative fix a chance, especially when doing so can be politically difficult. Despite partisan differences in Washington, constituents across the country are in need of these changes, and their Senators did not stand in the way. While the Senate budget resolution will likely never become law, our HSA and FSA legislation stands on its own merits, and those who supported it as an amendment should support its passage into law. These health law mandates are just a couple examples of new challenges raised over the past three years with undoubtedly more to come. Restoring Americans\u2019 faith in our healthcare system will require a departure from government gimmicks and a return to common sense. The political battles have been fought and refought. It\u2019s time now for sound policy to win out, and for lawmakers to take a closer look at this law without a red or blue partisan lens. Ending the unfair FSA and HSA requirements would be a great addition to the 1099 paperwork mandate that has already been repealed. Congress should send a message to families who have children with special needs that we are going to step up and do the right thing. Surely we can all agree letting families use their money as they see fit and freeing up doctors to treat the sick is a positive step for real health reform. Johanns is the senior senator from Nebraska. Paulsen represents Minnesota\u2019s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.\r\n\r\n\tRead entire article online.\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t\u00a0\r\n\r\n\t###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 10, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Republican", "p1": "MN", "p2": "2013"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 10, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MN&year=2013", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 10, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MN&year=2013&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "MN", "label": "MN", "count": 10, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&year=2013", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MN&year=2013", "results": [{"value": "2013", "label": "2013", "count": 10, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MN", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": null, "next_url": null, "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 186.7955313064158, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}