releases: http://rokita.house.gov/editorial/rokita-report-12-13-13
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| 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 | legacy | Dear Friend, Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 113th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well. For daily updates, please take a moment to "Like" my Facebook page by clicking here or follow me on Twitter if you prefer @ToddRokita. In this week's Rokita Report Rokita Readings - How the GOP Should Fix ObamaCare Reforming the Budget and Preventing Another Obama-Reid Shutdown Fighting Red Tape - General Aviation Pilot Protection Act Introduced ObamaCare Cancellations Continue - Politifact Lie of the Year 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." Featured 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." Jenkins' column is a good explanation of how, why, and when our government-run health care system came to be. At its core, ObamaCare is a massive redistribution of wealth. 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. Jenkins proposes an thoughtful plan that could garner Democrat support. This is an interesting piece and worth your time to read. Let me know what you think on my Facebook page. Reforming the Budget and Preventing Another Obama-Reid Shutdown This week the House passed bipartisan budget legislation to fund the remainder of Fiscal Year 2014 and 2015. The budget deal was reached by a conference committee established by the short-term funding agreement reached earlier this year to end the government shutdown. The 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. The budget also reforms the way in which sequestration cuts are applied and in other areas of the budget. I spoke on the House floor in support of this budget agreement before its passage. You can view those remarks here. This 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. The reforms, and therefore budget savings, start immediately and compound over time. Since 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. Finally, this budget prevents President Obama and Harry Reid from staging another shutdown so they can distract from the failures of ObamaCare. Key Spending Reforms in the Budget Agreement • Eliminates unemployment benefits for criminals • Ends government payments to the deceased • Requires dead-beat dads to pay their children’s outstanding Medicaid bills • Requires federal employees to contribute more to their retirement - in line with private sector standards • Increases the contribution private companies must pay to guarantee their pension benefits under the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. These important reforms yield $28 billion in additional savings compared to current law. While this is a modest step forward, I will continue working to enact substantial, structural reforms to the biggest drivers of our debt – Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. For more information on the budget legislation, including legislative texts, please visit the House Budget Committee website here. Fighting Red Tape - General Aviation Pilot Protection Act This 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. As a pilot myself, I am pleased to introduce this important legislation with my colleagues and fellow pilots. The unnecessary Third Class Medical certification regulation drives up costs for pilots and prevents the general aviation industry from fulfilling its economic potential. Fixing this revises those requirements, essentially expanding the comparable driver's license medical requirements to private pilots, and allows greater access for pilots to fly. I'm pleased to have the support of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Experimental Aircraft Association, and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Learn more about the bill here and AOPA's support of the bill here. "You Can Keep Your Plan" - The Politifact "Lie of the Year" - ObamaCare Insurance Cancellations Continue It has been widely reported that millions of Americans are being sent cancellation notices of their insurance policies due to ObamaCare. 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." This lie is one that he reused time and again in selling ObamaCare and seeking reelection. Yet, cancellations keep arriving in mailboxes all over the country. These cancellations are just the tip of the iceberg of this insidious law. 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. I recently received a note from Terri who works for a health care provider in Indiana. 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. She is frustrated by the changes ObamaCare has made to her health insurance and she have every right to be. This is the direct opposite of what the President promised and that's why this law is, by definition, insidious. If you or someone you know has had a similar experiences due to ObamaCare, please send me your story, your cancellation notice, or rate increase documents at InsuranceCancellations@mail.house.gov. Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care. Sincerely, Todd Rokita | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |