House GOP leaders are using the excuse that “House rules” prohibit them from defunding Obamacare. Today there are $23.6 billion dollars headed toward the president’s desk as part of the most recent Continuing Resolution (CR). That’s the current portion of the $105.5 billion I wrote about yesterday.
The rules are easily broken. As Ernest Istook writes at Human Events, “The relevant rule (House Rule XXI) was waived to permit 123 previous appropriations to be rescinded. But ObamaCare funding was not touched. Perhaps doing the same thing for the 124th time was considered going too far?”
Two federal courts have already deemed Obamacare unconstitutional. Any Congressman acting to protect it is breaking his or her oath to the Constitution. Having voted with the yeas to repeal Obamacare earlier this year and then not fighting to have this funding rescinded from the CR is patently hypocritical. Don’t think that in the Internet age of transparent record keeping congressmen won’t be held accountable, both for their activity and inactivity in the Capitol.
Governors around the country are already taking a stand against Obamacare’s implementation in their states. They should be an example for their congressional delegations. Florida Governor Rick Scott will do nothing to aid the implementation of the unconstitutional Obamacare law in his state. The Tea Party in Washington must head to the vanguard of the fight against Obamacare and make some more noise. There were 87 freshmen elected to the House in November. Many of them rode the coattails of the Tea Party. Only some of them voted against the CR yesterday.
The Tea Party and those veteran Congressmen who used the rhetoric to save their sorry hides in 2010 need to match words with deeds and take a stand against any funding for the unconstitutional Obamacare. Any less would be a dereliction of duty to the Constitution and a break with the promises they made on the campaign trail.
