{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://rokita.house.gov/editorial/rokita-report-12-13-13", "Rokita Report 12-13-13", "2013-12-13", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "IN", "Todd Rokita", "R000592", "rokita.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\nThank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 113th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well.\nFor daily updates, please take a moment to \"Like\" my Facebook\u00a0page by clicking here  or follow me on Twitter if you prefer  @ToddRokita.\n  \u00a0In this week's Rokita Report\n Rokita Readings - How the GOP Should Fix ObamaCare\nReforming the Budget and Preventing Another Obama-Reid Shutdown\nFighting Red Tape - General Aviation Pilot Protection Act Introduced\nObamaCare\u00a0Cancellations Continue -\u00a0Politifact Lie of the Year\n   Rokita Readings A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to \"Keep the Republic.\"\u00a0\nFeatured in this week's Rokita Readings is a column sent to me by a good friend by Holman Jenkins, Jr. titled \"How the GOP Should Fix ObamaCare.\"\nJenkins'\u00a0column is a good explanation of how, why, and when our\u00a0government-run health care system\u00a0came to be.\u00a0 At its core, ObamaCare is a massive redistribution of wealth.\u00a0 It relies on forcing people to purchase new health care plans that far exceed what the individual wants or needs to subsidize plans for others.\u00a0 Jenkins proposes an\u00a0thoughtful plan that could garner Democrat support.\u00a0 This is an interesting piece and worth your time to read.\u00a0\u00a0Let me know what you think on my Facebook page.\n  Reforming the Budget\u00a0and Preventing Another Obama-Reid Shutdown \n\t\t\t\t\tThis week the House passed bipartisan budget legislation to fund the remainder of Fiscal Year 2014 and 2015.\u00a0 The budget deal was reached by a conference committee established by the short-term funding agreement reached earlier this year\u00a0to end\u00a0the government shutdown.\nThe Bipartisan Budget Act would set funding levels at $1.012 trillion - roughly halfway between the proposed spending levels of the Senate-passed budget and the House-passed budget that I authored earlier this year.\u00a0 The budget also reforms the way in which\u00a0sequestration cuts are applied and in other areas of the budget.\nI spoke on the House floor in support of this budget agreement before its passage.\u00a0 You can view those remarks here.\nThis budget is a better deal than the current sequestration law because it makes spending reforms that cut more than sequester will and will continue on after sequestration is scheduled to expire.\u00a0 The reforms, and therefore budget savings, start immediately and compound over time.\u00a0 \nSince mandatory social entitlement spending is driving our debt, this budget is a step in the right direction, and a good springboard for the immense amount of reform work yet to be done.\u00a0\u00a0\nFinally, this budget prevents President Obama and Harry Reid from staging another shutdown so they can distract from the failures of ObamaCare.\nKey Spending Reforms in the Budget Agreement  \u2022\u00a0Eliminates unemployment benefits for criminals  \u2022\u00a0Ends government payments to the deceased  \u2022\u00a0Requires dead-beat dads to pay their children\u2019s outstanding Medicaid bills  \u2022\u00a0Requires federal employees to contribute more to their retirement - in line with private sector standards  \u2022\u00a0Increases the contribution private companies must pay to guarantee their pension benefits under the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.\nThese important reforms yield $28 billion in additional savings compared to current law.\u00a0 While this is a modest step forward, I will continue working to enact substantial, structural reforms to the biggest drivers of our debt \u2013 Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.\u00a0\u00a0\nFor more information on the budget legislation, including legislative texts, please visit the House Budget Committee website\u00a0here.\n  Fighting Red Tape - General Aviation Pilot Protection Act\nThis week, I introduced the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act, bipartisan legislation that would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to revise a rule that incurs unnecessary costs and requirement on private pilots. \u00a0\nAs a pilot myself, I am pleased to introduce this important legislation with my colleagues and fellow pilots.\u00a0 The unnecessary Third Class Medical certification regulation drives up costs for pilots and prevents the general aviation industry from fulfilling its economic potential.\u00a0\u00a0Fixing this revises those requirements, essentially expanding\u00a0the comparable\u00a0driver's license medical requirements to private pilots, and allows greater access for pilots to fly.\nI'm pleased to have the support of the\u00a0Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.\u00a0 Learn more about the bill here and AOPA's support of the bill here.\n  \n\"You Can Keep Your Plan\" - The Politifact \"Lie of the Year\" - ObamaCare Insurance Cancellations Continue\nIt\u00a0has been widely reported that\u00a0millions of Americans are being sent cancellation notices of their\u00a0insurance policies due to\u00a0ObamaCare.\u00a0 Just this week, the nonpartisan political fact-finding site, Politifact.com ranked the President's claim that, \"if you like your health insurance plan, you can keep your plan,\" the \"Lie of the Year.\"\u00a0 This lie is one that he\u00a0reused time and again in selling\u00a0ObamaCare\u00a0and seeking reelection.\u00a0 Yet, cancellations keep arriving in mailboxes all over the country.\nThese cancellations are just the tip of the\u00a0iceberg of\u00a0this\u00a0insidious law.\u00a0 Hoosiers are seeing rate increases, hours and jobs being cut, and health benefits are changing so rapidly that many are unsure of exactly what coverage they will have in the new year.\u00a0\u00a0\nI recently received a note from Terri who works for a health care provider in Indiana.\u00a0 Terri recently had her hours cut, but her deductible went from $0 to $500 per year, and her premium rose from $96 to $121 per pay period.\u00a0\u00a0She is frustrated by the changes ObamaCare has made to her health insurance and she have every right to be.\u00a0 This is the direct opposite of what the President promised and that's why this law is, by\u00a0definition, insidious.\u00a0\u00a0\nIf you or someone you know has had a similar experiences due to ObamaCare,\u00a0please send me your\u00a0story, your\u00a0cancellation notice, or rate increase documents\u00a0at InsuranceCancellations@mail.house.gov.\u00a0 \u00a0\n  Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care. \u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSincerely,    Todd Rokita", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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"], "primary_key_values": ["http://rokita.house.gov/editorial/rokita-report-12-13-13"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8138329721987247, "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"}