eNewsletter: Fairness for American Families

Statement

Delay of the Employer Mandate

Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced through a blog post that it would delay for one year enforcement of the so-called employer mandate tax--i.e., despite the letter of the law, the Administration would not tax businesses with 50 or more employees if they failed to provide government-approved health insurance to their employees. Let me be clear: I agree with the bipartisan sentiment that the Affordable Care Act is not ready for prime time, and that it may never be; however, only Congress has the ability to change the law. Moreover, if the President wants to grant businesses a break from Obamacare taxes, fairness dictates that individuals should be afforded the same relief. For this reason, last week Rep. Tim Griffin and I introduced bills to delay enforcement of both the employer and individual mandate taxes. I'm proud to report that both of these measures passed the House with bipartisan support.

The Fairness for American Families Act

Obamacare has continually proven to be littered with broken promises and missed opportunities. Instead of bringing down the cost of healthcare as its champions vowed it would, the sweeping law has produced a growing mess of costly new regulations, taxes, and uncertainties which are burdening American families. While supporters of the law have tacitly acknowledged that the employer mandate will hurt businesses, thus far most have stubbornly refused to admit that the individual mandate will hurt rank-and-file Americans. Obamacare supporters in the U.S. Senate, in particular, have ignored Americans' pleas for equitable tax relief

If Obamacare supporters believe that businesses should be given a mandate tax break, then it is only fair that hardworking Americans and their families get the same break. This is why I introduced, and the House passed, the Fairness for American Families Act. The bill, which 1 in 9 Democrats also supported, would delay enforcement of the $55 billion individual mandate tax for one year. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, it is important to remember that this bill only delays the pain of Obamacare, it doesn't resolve it. There remain serious issues that need to be addressed immediately, which is why I continue to support commonsensical legislation that grapples with the litany of burdens created by the Affordable Care Act.

The SAW Act

As our President and Senate passively observe Obamacare's implementation--which one prominent Democratic Senator recently called a "train wreck"--businesses are trying to find ways to survive. For example, in response to the requirement that all businesses with 50 or more workers provide health insurance to employees who log over 30 hours per week, many businesses have already started cutting hours from their part-time employees to 29 hours or less.

In order to help this growing population of so-called "29-ers"preserve their hours and wages, I introduced the Save American Workers (SAW) Act. In short, the SAW Act will apply the traditional 40-hour definition of full-time employment to Obamacare. The math is simple: For hourly workers, the difference between 39 hours and 29 hours over the course of a month amounts to an entire week's paycheck. That makes a big difference to those employees and their families, many of whom continue to face serious financial challenges. It is essential that we preserve workers' hours and wages, regardless of how, and from whom, they receive health insurance.

You can help move this legislation forward by becoming a citizen cosponsor at: https://www.cosponsor.gov/details/hr2575-113

Going Forward

I will remain a strong advocate for replacing Obamacare with sustainable bipartisan legislation which does everything Obamacare fails to do: controls costs, preserves quality, and increases access to healthcare. I have not given up on this fight; however, in the interim, it is important that we do everything we can to help American workers and families. It has been a privilege to help lead on this issue, and I can only hope that the Senate will put politics aside, and do its part to help us avert the "train wreck."

As always, if you have any questions or comments about the bills I have introduced, please do not hesitate to contact me at any of our office locations.

In Service,

Todd

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