Cramer: House Fails to Override Veto of Obamacare Repeal and Defunding Planned Parenthood

Press Release

Congressman Kevin Cramer announced today the U.S. House of Representatives failed to garner enough votes to override President Obama's veto of H.R. 3762, Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015. The bill would have repealed the health exchange subsidies and the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), repealed the "Obamacare slush fund," eliminated federal funding for Planned Parenthood, repealed the individual and employer mandate penalties, repealed the medical device and "Cadillac" tax, and enhanced Medicare solvency. The vote to override the veto was 241 to 186.

"Obamacare has driven up the cost of health care and insurance premiums for millions of Americans and their families. Using the reconciliation process, Congress was able to avoid a Democrat-led filibuster in the Senate and put on the President's desk a bill to repeal Obamacare and defund Planned Parenthood," said Cramer. "We will continue to pass legislation to repeal Obamacare and force the President to defend his failed policy. I will work with my colleagues to create solutions which will actually make our healthcare system responsive to the needs of all Americans."

In addition to dismantling Obamacare, the bill diverted funds from abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood to a broader network of healthcare providers throughout the country. If the legislation had become law, the federal government's funding of Planned Parenthood would have been shifted to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) who serve low-income women in rural and urban communities throughout the nation. North Dakota has 71 FQHC facilities, which could have received funding to treat thousands of women in North Dakota.

H.R. 3762 passed both houses using the budget reconciliation process. It allows Congress once a year to use an expedited procedure when considering legislation to bring existing spending and revenue into compliance with current fiscal priorities established in the annual budget resolution without a filibuster in the Senate. The adoption of the budget resolution allows Congress to agree upon budgetary goals. In order to meet these goals, Congress must enact legislation that alters or reconciles existing law with its priorities provided in the budget resolution. This is the first time in a decade the reconciliation process has been used because both the House and Senate passed a budget in 2015.

A vetoed bill becomes law if two-thirds of the members voting in both the House and the Senate agree to repass the bill, often referred to as a veto override vote. Assuming all members of both chambers vote, 290 Members of the House and 67 Senators must support the veto override. The chamber which originated a bill acts on a veto first. The Senate will not take up a veto override on H.R. 3762 unless the veto override vote receives a two-thirds vote in the House.

Source