How House Conservatives Plan to Revive Obamacare Repeal, and Why It Could Work

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It’s time to “put the screws” to Republican lawmakers who promised to repeal Obamacare, one House member says, and that’s why he supports reviving a successful 2015 attempt to get rid of the health care law.

“We certainly can’t give up,” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said in a phone interview with The Daily Signal.

Gaetz was explaining why he decided to back a small caucus of House conservatives in its strategy to force a floor vote on a bill mirroring the Obamacare repeal passed in December 2015.

The House Freedom Caucus announced Friday its plan to collect the 218 signatures required on a “discharge petition” to pull that legislation out of committee.

The Daily Signal heard from eight House members on how they stand on the strategy.

“I signed the discharge petition because the things we have done so far to appease moderates in our party haven’t worked,” Gaetz, who is not a member of the Freedom Caucus, said in the interview. “So, maybe we should take a conservative approach going forward. We certainly can’t give up.”

The 2015 bill, passed by the House and Senate but vetoed by President Barack Obama, contained repeal of key Obamacare provisions, including the expansion of Medicaid benefits and almost all of the health care law’s tax increases.

The bill also repealed the law’s insurance mandates for individuals and employers as well and defunded Planned Parenthood.

When Republican majorities in the House and the Senate voted to repeal Obamacare in 2015, Obama was sure to veto the bill, and did, Gaetz noted.

The Florida Republican said there is no reason House and Senate Republicans shouldn’t be able to do the same in 2017, when President Donald Trump is committed to sign the legislation:

There is this theory both in the House and in the Senate that the legislation that everyone has previously voted for to repeal Obamacare would not get the votes on the floor of either body. It’s my view that the ‘I was for it before I was against it’ political narrative has proven to be unsuccessful. And so I want to put the screws to the members of my party who seem to only want to support repealing Obamacare when they don’t think it will actually happen.

Not a single Republican voted for final passage of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act.

Whether the revived 2015 repeal bill passes in the Senate is not the point, Gaetz said.

“These days it’s reasonable to be skeptical that a Mother’s Day resolution could pass the Senate,” he said, adding:

But that shouldn’t stop our work in the House. I mean, we have a Senate that is not functional today. So, we only have two options: Raise the white flag and give up, or keep fighting. This is a cogent strategy to keep fighting, and I’m for it.

Trump has shared his frustration, including over Twitter, about Republicans’ inability to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of GOP lawmakers in the House, told The Daily Signal in an interview that he is optimistic the petition to discharge the 2015 repeal bill will succeed.

“I have no problem leading … as we continue to put pressure on the Senate from every angle possible,” Walker said. “And hopefully at some point, this could free things up enough; there’s enough pressure coming from both Republicans in Congress and people back home to get this thing done.”

Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal that he will sign the discharge petition upon his return from the August recess.

“We cannot afford to lose momentum, and I refuse to give up on our commitments,” Hice said.

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., a Freedom Caucus member, said in an interview that support for the discharge petition reaches outside the caucus of more than 30 House conservatives.

“It’s not only the Freedom Caucus that supports it, but the chairman of the Republican Study Committee also announced that he’s supporting the discharge petition,” Harris told The Daily Signal, referring to Walker. “I think we should keep the position publicly that we support that repeal, just like we did in 2015.”

Harris said he is not as confident the bill would clear the Senate, but it is important that the House stay on track to repeal and replace Obamacare.

“I don’t think the Senate will take it up, to be honest with you, but I think the American people deserve to know what the House position is,” Harris said. “I think we should keep taking some action on health care repeal and reform until we get it.”

Robert Moffit, a senior health policy analyst for The Heritage Foundation, told The Daily Signal in an email that lawmakers should in essence pass the 2015 repeal bill again.

“For seven years, congressional Republicans promised that they would repeal and replace Obamacare,” Moffit said:

In 2016, Heritage proposed that Congress replicate the previous repeal bill that President Obama vetoed, and then begin to enact, through regular order, in a step-by-step process, policies that would reduce health insurance costs for millions of Americans, expand their choice of coverage options, and allow the people of the states, through their elected representatives, to make the rules for their own insurance markets. A promise is a promise.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, another member of the Freedom Caucus, said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal that this is the “minimum” the House can do.

“Every Republican in the House promised to vote to repeal Obamacare,” Gohmert said, adding:

We did it when Barack Obama was president. We should, at a minimum, do the same thing with a president who will actually sign it. Since the Senate passed the exact same bill that was vetoed, we need to keep pushing the same bill back to the Senate until they’re either compelled to vote for it because of their conscience, or until their constituents compel them to come home and let someone else keep that promise.

Gohmert said he will sign the petition when he returns to Washington.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said he would do the same.

“Being back in my district for the August recess, I’m reminded as much as ever that my constituents are disappointed that we haven’t fulfilled the key Republican promise that has been made for several election cycles in a row to repeal Obamacare,” Banks, who represents northeastern Indiana, said in an interview with The Daily Signal, adding:

So that’s what motivates me to be supportive of this effort. … My constituents from my district have been waiting for this for too long for a vote on repealing Obamacare and that’s why I intend to sign the discharge petition when we get back to Washington.

Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., said he “wholeheartedly” supports the strategy. In a statement given to The Daily Signal, Yoho said:

This will force House leadership to advance the repeal of the ACA [Affordable Care Act] so that we can get rid of the failed Obamacare law once and for all. Then Republicans and Democrats can finally come together to fix health care for the American people.

Count him in, said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., because lawmakers should be consistent.

“I think this is a great opportunity for us to keep our promises,” Biggs told The Daily Signal, adding:

This is one where you can’t just vote for something when it doesn’t count and you know it’s not going to count. This is being genuine and being real, and so that’s why I think it’s appropriate and I think it’s a good idea.

(For more from the author of “How House Conservatives Plan to Revive Obamacare Repeal, and Why It Could Work” please click HERE)

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FBI Reopens Case Into Lynch-Clinton Tarmac Meeting

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The FBI has “reopened” a request for documents related to former President Bill Clinton’s 2016 tarmac meeting with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) President Jay Sekulow told Fox News that the FBI sent him a letter indicating officials reopened his Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request, after initially denying the existence of records related to the Clinton-Lynch meeting . . .

“While we appreciate that the FBI has ‘reopened’ the case file and is now ‘searching’ for documents responsive to our duly submitted FOIA request from more than a year ago, it stretches the bounds of credulity to suggest that the FBI bureaucracy just discovered that ‘potentially responsive’ records ‘may exist’ on its own accord,” Sekulow, who is also a member of President Donald Trump’s legal team, said in a written statement. (Read more from “FBI Reopens Case Into Lynch-Clinton Tarmac Meeting” HERE)

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Liberals Work to Mainstream Violent Antifa Protesters

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Journalists and major liberal news outlets have compared violent American flag-burning protesters to soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy — all while downplaying the leftists’ violence.

The protesters, known as antifa (short for anti-fascist), often advocate for communism and have been deemed a domestic terrorist movement by New Jersey. Persons associated with the movement have previously stabbed a police horse and beat people with bike locks.

The work to mainstream the violent leftists came as a response to President Trump saying that “both sides” were responsible for violence at a white nationalist rally over the weekend in Charlottesville, Va.

Indeed, many counter-protesters showed up with bats and maced rally-goers. Trump pointed this out Tuesday and said counter protesters were “swinging clubs” as they “came charging at, as you say, at the alt-right.”

However, the actions of the antifa in Charlottesville is supposedly comparable to fighting Nazis in World War II, according to journalists and prominent liberals. (Read more from “Liberals Work to Mainstream Violent Antifa Protesters” HERE)

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Why Did One of Mueller’s Investigators Leave the Trump-Russia Probe?

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One of the FBI officials recently brought onto the Trump-Russia investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller has left the team, according to a new report.

ABC News is reporting that Peter Strzok left the position for unknown reasons. He is now working in the FBI’s human resources department. It is unclear why the move was made.

CNN reported last month that Mueller had picked Strzok to manage the ever-expanding investigation into possible collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian government.

The probe has expanded to include possibly illegal business activities involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. (Read more from “Why Did One of Mueller’s Investigators Leave the Trump-Russia Probe?” HERE)

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Muslim Mafia Joins War on Confederate Memorials

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An Islamic organization founded in Washington, D.C., by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas is entering the controversy over Confederate monuments, urging all state and local governments to remove any symbols of the Civil War South.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, is offering to help facilitate the process, providing a template resolution to be introduced by public bodies such as state legislatures, city councils and school districts.

CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator in a plot to fund Hamas, was designated by a Gulf Arab state as a terrorist organization. CAIR has sued the authors of a WND Books exposé, “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America,” which documented the group’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

CAIR was among the organizations Saturday to criticize President Trump for a “failure of moral leadership” for not immediately condemning the white supremacists who participated in a rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, protesting the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park.

CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad, who in a 1994 meeting at Barry University declared himself “a supporter of the Hamas movement,” called for any name or public memorial associated with the Confederacy be removed. (Read more from “Muslim Mafia Joins War on Confederate Memorials” HERE)

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U.S. State Offering Free Abortions to Anyone, Including Illegal Aliens

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has signed a landmark bill to provide free abortions for all, including illegal immigrants, by requiring insurance companies to cover the procedures and putting taxpayers on the hook for the tab.

Tuesday’s long-awaited signing of House Bill 3391, approved by the State Legislature July 5 with no Republican votes, triggered a torrent of criticism from conservatives along with praise from the pro-choice movement.

“Thank Kate Brown for signing the nation’s most progressive reproductive health bill into law today!” NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon said in a statement.

The $10.2 million Reproductive Health Equity Act includes $500,000 for abortions for the estimated 22,873 women who would be eligible for the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program, “except for their immigration status.”

Under the first-of-its-kind law, most of which goes into effect immediately, Oregon insurers must provide 100 percent coverage for abortions without co-pays or deductibles. (Read more from “U.S. State Offering Free Abortions to Anyone, Including Illegal Aliens” please click HERE)

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Google Insiders Warn ‘Outright Censorship’ of the Internet Is Google’s Top Priority… and Everyone Has Been Intimidated Into Silence

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If the right to bear arms is the most important right outlined in the United States Constitution, then the freedom of speech is a close second. The Founding Fathers understood better than anyone that those who are in positions of power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree, and that tyranny will come to America unless those with authority are restrained. One way we restrain these authoritarian figures (namely the politicians in Washington DC) is by practicing our First Amendment rights to speak about, praise or criticize the direction in which the country is going. The freedom of speech allows us to hold politicians accountable, elect leaders that will govern in our best interests, and expel those who don’t. Without the ability to speak freely and openly, none of this is possible.

Currently, and sadly, the freedom of speech is under attack in America. The mainstream media, Hollywood and leftists on college campuses across the country have been the main culprits of the assault on free speech, however recently it has also been undermined on the Internet. More and more frequently, stories are emerging of conservative voices being suppressed or even silenced by various social media websites, search engines, and even Google.

Recently, a Google employee who goes by the alias “Hal” spoke to Breitbart News about the political bias that allegedly runs rampant throughout the company. Hal’s interview with Breitbart is the first in a series entitled “Rebels of Google,” which will be published in full within the next few days.

In the interview, Hal, who understandably chose to use a fake name out of fear of losing his job, spoke about the ongoing effort within Google to suppress certain content that the company doesn’t want the public to have easy access to.

“Many people now fear that Google, Facebook and other companies are moving to control and censor their content. Are these fears justified?” asked Breitbart reported Allum Bokhari. “That is absolutely what Google is trying to do,” Hal replied. “The pro-censorship voices are very loud, and they have the management’s ear. The anti-censorship people are afraid of retaliation, and people are afraid to openly support them because everyone in their management chain is constantly signaling their allegiance to far-left ideology. Our leadership (Sundar in particular) is weak, so he capitulates to the meanest bullies on the block.”

The news is particularly damning to conservatives, who in recent years have been working to establish a stronghold on the Internet considering the fact that all other outlets, from the mainstream media to Hollywood, are run by leftists. A prominent example of this is Mark Levin’s LevinTV, which is an Internet-based conservative program launched last year that puts out new episodes every weeknight. If Google is actively working to censor ideas and information that do not align with the progressive ideology, conservative voices on the Internet could be in serious trouble. Related: Google and Facebook algorithms create a whole new kind of censorship, warns News Corp CEO.)

Another area of the Internet where widespread censorship is occurring is on the Google-owned video sharing website, YouTube. Just days ago, YouTube revealed on their official blog that they would be taking action to censor what they consider to be “hate speech” and “violent extremism.” YouTube also plans on launching a “trusted flagger” program, which will help the video sharing website identify videos that contain hate speech and extremism. Unsurprisingly, one of the organizations tasked with identifying which videos are to be censored is the left wing No Hate Speech Movement, as well as the Anti-Defamation League.

With liberal censorship running rampant in the mainstream media, in Hollywood, on college campuses and across the Internet, our country needs pro-First Amendment voices now more than ever. Once the freedom of speech is gone, it is only a matter of time before an all-powerful authoritarian state is established and individual liberty in America ceases to exist. (For more from the author of “Google Insiders Warn ‘Outright Censorship’ of the Internet Is Google’s Top Priority… and Everyone Has Been Intimidated Into Silence” please click HERE)

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Quaint U.S. Town: Hussein Tries to Behead Cop

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A 46-year-old man identified as Hussein Hassan attacked a police officer in Kennewick, Washington, over the weekend with a large sword, striking at the officer’s head before he was shot and killed.

A spokesman for the police said two officers responded to a 9-1-1 call at 6:38 p.m. Sunday about a man walking down Olympia Street near 10th Avenue armed with a sword.

The two officers arrived on the scene at the same time in separate cars at about 6:40 p.m. One officer got out of his car to confront Hassan and police say the man started swinging the sword, striking the officer at least once in the head with the blade . . .

The officer was treated and released from an area hospital after receiving 17 staples to close the head wound.

Almost 24 hours later, on Monday evening, police identified the dead man as Hassan, but gave only scant details – his age and current city of residence. (Read more from “Quaint U.S. Town: Hussein Tries to Behead Cop” HERE)

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Texas Permanently Bans Taxpayer Funding of Abortion

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed today a bill to restrict state funding for abortion insurance.

The new law will keep Texans from having to pay for elective abortions through their insurance plans.

“As a firm believer in Texas values I am proud to sign legislation that ensures no Texan is ever required to pay for a procedure that ends the life of an unborn child,” Gov. Abbott said. “This bill prohibits insurance providers from forcing Texas policy holders to subsidize elective abortions. I am grateful to the Texas legislature for getting this bill to my desk, and working to protect innocent life this special session.”

HB-214, which the House passed last week and the Senate approved Sunday, applies to “elective” abortions and specifically includes an exemption for cases of medical emergency to save the mother’s life. (Read more from “Texas Permanently Bans Taxpayer Funding of Abortion” HERE)

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Al Qaeda Publishes Blueprint for Attacks on Key U.S. Transportation Systems

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The al Qaeda terror group’s chief bomb maker has published a blueprint for new attacks on U.S. transportation systems, including planes, trains, and boats, which the terror group views as “prime targets,” according to a copy of a lengthy manifesto that provides a guide for would-be terrorists to launch attacks.

Ibrahim al-Asiri, a top al Qaeda leader known as the terror group’s chief bomb maker, detailed the extremist organization’s plans to target U.S. passenger and shipping transportation services, which the terror organization views as weak links ripe for attack.

While al Qaeda’s operations have been weakened by years of U.S. attacks on its key locations and apparatus, it has increasingly relied on promulgating its radical ideology to so-called “lone wolfs” who are not officially affiliated with the group but who are capable of carrying out terror attacks without detection by American authorities.

The shift to lone-wolf attacks highlights al Qaeda’s continued influence and brand strength among jihadists following the rise of splinter groups such as ISIS. Al Qaeda is still a primary source of concern for the U.S. intelligence community, which continues to see the group as a central threat against American safety. (Read more from “Al Qaeda Publishes Blueprint for Attacks on Key U.S. Transportation Systems” HERE)

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