Blog: The Webster Wire: InstaPoll: If Businesses Get Relief From Obamacare, Shouldn't the Rest of Us Americans?

Statement

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, I had the privilege to address the 2013 graduating class of Columbia College -- Orlando. It was a pleasure to stand with the faculty, family, friends and others who invested in the lives of the graduates, and to celebrate their graduation. Many of those who turned their tassels this afternoon were veterans and adults, who continued their education, while balancing work and family obligations. I wish the graduates of Columbia College -- Orlando all the best as they turn a new page in their lives with the opportunities and potential that their hard work has earned.

On Wednesday, I met with Danny, a student at Ocoee High School, who was nominate d to become a National Youth Correspondent to the Washington Journalism and Media Conference at George Mason University in Washington, D.C. He shared with me his experience attending symposiums on communications, media research, new media, and electronic journalism. As a rising senior, Danny is preparing to attend a Florida university to study film and television. I admire the work ethic, initiative and determination he has demonstrated, and I am confident that those qualities will produce future success.

Last week, I also celebrated the ceremonial beginning for the construction of the Wekiva Parkway, a kick-off event for the long-awaited completion of Central Florida's beltway. As a member of the Florida Senate, I helped pass the Wekiva Parkway and Protection Act. Development of the Wekiva Parkway took several years of careful study and design. Yet a broad coalition supported the plan because it balanced a diverse set of priorities and achieved a necessary transportation infrastructure project for the future economic development of Central Florida. This final leg of the beltway will bring finality to a prediction by the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce, which published many years ago that the beltway would be a "golden ring" around Central Florida.

Your servant,
Daniel Webster
Member of Congress

Constituent Corner:

A constituent contacted our office regarding a delay in her IRS tax refund. We submitted an inquiry to the Taxpayer Advocate on her behalf, and were pleased that her refund was issued soon thereafter. If you ever need assistance cutting through the red tape at a federal agency, contact my office at one of the numbers below. We are here to serve you.

Share Your View:

Last week, the White House abruptly announced its decision to delay for one year the implementation of Obamacare's employer mandate, an onerous provision of the law that penalizes employers with more than 50 full-time employees whose workers do not have health insurance or cannot afford health it without federal subsidies. Although this is good news for businesses, individuals and families still must comply with Obamacares mandates or face the consequences.

Now that President Obama has given businesses an exemption from Obamacare's mandates, should individuals and families receive one as well?

Your view: Response to last week's survey question (Do you agree Congress should avoid the year-to-year uncertainty of student loan rates with a fix that ties interest rates to the market?) No -- 21% Yes -- 73%

Legislative Update:

Senate Democrats gave us a lesson this week in Washington dysfunction.

Student loan interest rates doubled on July 1. Yet instead of acting quickly to provide permanent relief for students and avoid sudden rate hikes in the future, Senate Democrats rejected a market-based proposal by a bipartisan group of Senators, which was similar to the bipartisan House-passed Smarter Solutions Act. Rather than seek common ground to protect students, they introduced a partisan bill, doomed for failure, which the Washington Post called, a "pathetic non-solution" and "dead-end policy," which continues "to fix rates based on politics."

This cycle of obstruction and political gamesmanship by Senate leadership is proof that linking student loan rates to the whims of Congress is a disaster that hurts students who once are again left wondering how much college will cost next semester.

Let's put aside "dead-end" policies and collaborate on a smarter solution that offers students lower costs and greater certainty. The House has already done its work, and passed a permanent solution with my support prior to rates doubling. It is past time for the Senate to do the same.

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