releases: https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-center?ContentRecord_id=2cf4d7c4-88fd-4f9f-bfdd-ff1667f67d8d
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
This data as json
| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-center?ContentRecord_id=2cf4d7c4-88fd-4f9f-bfdd-ff1667f67d8d | e-Newsletter for the week ending November 1, 2013 | 2013-11-01 | 2013 | 2013-11 | Republican | House | GA | Johnny Isakson | I000055 | www.isakson.senate.gov | legacy | Dear Friends, The rollout of Obamacare has been a huge disaster, and the many “glitches” surrounding Healthcare.gov is just the tip of the iceberg. Americans shouldn’t be forced to participate in a system that is clearly not ready for prime time, nor should they be treated differently than businesses. I have co-sponsored more than two dozen pieces of legislation and cast 60 votes to repeal, defund or dismantle Obamacare, and I will continue to fight against this terribly flawed law. In addition to Obamacare being a logistical nightmare, Americans are seeing their health insurance premiums rise. Americans who live in rural areas are hit especially hard and will be forced to pay higher prices for the same coverage under Obamacare. According to the New York Times, “In rural Baker County, Ga., where there is only one insurer, a 50-year-old shopping for a silver plan would pay at least $644.05 before federal subsidies. (Plans range in price and levels of coverage from bronze to platinum, with silver a middle option.) A 50-year-old in Atlanta, where there are four carriers, could pay $320.06 for a comparable plan.” I am also hearing from Georgians who are receiving notices from their health insurance providers that they can’t keep their current coverage. According to NBC News, as many as 50 to 75 percent of the 14 million consumers who buy their insurance individually will lose their current plans. For the past several years, President Obama has promised Americans over and over again that if you like your plan, you can keep it. Clearly, this is a broken promise. Even worse, a report came out this week stating that the president knew at least three years ago that he would not be able to live up to this promise. Even a senior Democratic senator, Tom Harkin of Iowa, said this week that the president’s promise to Americans about keeping their health plans is “not really right.” Flood Insurance This week, I joined Sen. Menendez, D-N.J., in leading a bipartisan coalition of House and Senate members to introduce the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which will protect millions of homeowners – including thousands in Georgia – from facing huge flood insurance premium rate hikes and will require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to complete an affordability study and to propose real solutions to address affordability issues before any flood insurance premiums can be increased in the future. Without Congressional action now to amend the Biggert-Waters law that was enacted in 2012, many homeowners in costal and flood plain areas in Georgia and elsewhere will experience unaffordable premiums that will cause some owners to lose their homes. Also, Biggert-Waters has the unintended consequence of causing the value of homes for sale in these areas to drop. I’m pleased that our bill also requires FEMA to complete an affordability study using the latest technology to ensure that flood insurance is affordable for homeowners and the program is self-sustainable going forward. More information on this legislation can be found on my website. Nomination of Melvin “Mel” Watt to be the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Earlier this year, President Obama nominated Rep. Melvin “Mel” Watt, D-N.C., to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA). FHFA oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Federal Home Loan Banks. As someone who was in the residential real estate business for three decades and who has authored numerous pieces of housing-related legislation, I feel that this is a critically important role that has the power to greatly affect our economy. After carefully examining Watt’s record and qualifications for the FHFA director position and meeting with him, I voted against his nomination on Thursday. The Senate rejected this nomination by failing to invoke cloture by a vote of 56 to 42. (The measure required 60 votes to pass.) I have very strong concerns about Watt’s qualifications to run the FHFA’s large portfolio. This is not a job for a career politician, but rather a job for a career businessperson. Furthermore, our country is recovering from a collapse of the housing industry and the subprime market crisis, much of which occurred as a result of votes that Mel Watt took while a member of the House of Representatives. What’s on Tap? On Monday, the Senate will vote on two district judge nominees and will hold a vote to consider S.815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. On Wednesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is scheduled to testify before the Senate Finance Committee, of which I am a member. I look forward to questioning Secretary Sebelius and demanding answers on behalf of the hundreds of Georgians I hear from everyday who are subjected to the terrible consequences of this terrible law. Sincerely, Johnny Isakson | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |