THE DAILY WHIP: WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2018
Press Types
Daily Leader
| HOUSE MEETS AT: | FIRST VOTE PREDICTED: | LAST VOTE PREDICTED: |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m.: Morning Hour 12:00 p.m.: Legislative Business Fifteen “One Minutes” | 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. |
| Possible Consideration of H.Res. 1020– Rule waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules, and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the Rules (Rep. Sessions – Rules) (One hour of debate). This Resolution waives clause 6(a) of rule XIII (requiring a two-thirds vote to consider a rule on the same day it is reported from the Rules Committee) against any resolution reported through the legislative day of July 27, 2018 relating to a measure authorizing appropriations for the Department of Defense. The Rules provides for suspension authority on July 26, 2018 or July 27, 2018 for measures authorizing appropriations for the Department of Defense. Complete Consideration of H.R. 6199 – Restoring Access to Medication and Modernizing Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 (Rep. Jenkins – Ways and Means) (One hour of debate). This bill significantly expands Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), which primarily benefit high-income taxpayers. H.R. 6199 allows individuals to contribute to HSAs and also participate in direct primary care arrangements. The bill incentivizes further incentivizes HSAs, which are typically paired with high-deductible health plans (HDHP), by reducing the minimum deductible $1,450 for an individual or $2,700 for a family to $250 and $500 respectively. H.R. 6199 also rolls back the ACA’s restrictions on FSA reimbursements for over-the-counter medical expenses and makes fitness products like gym memberships eligible for reimbursement through HSAs and FSAs. This permanent tax cut will add billions to the deficit, and Republicans have chosen to bring the bill to the Floor without providing an offset just a few months after House Republicans’ $1.8 trillion deficit exploding tax cuts that benefit the wealthiest people in our nation. The Rule, which was adopted yesterday, provides for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means. Bill Text for H.R. 6199: PDF Version Background for H.R. 6199: House Report (HTML Version) House Report (PDF Version) Complete Consideration of H.R. 6311– Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans and Expanding Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 (Rep. Roskam – Ways and Means) (One hour of debate). This bill expands access to catastrophic coverage – otherwise known as “copper plans” – which provide insufficient insurance coverage that does not meet the standards set by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Currently, catastrophic plans can only be purchased by those under 30 and people with hardship exemptions. The bill also includes a two year delay of ACA’s “health insurance tax” (HIT), an annual fee on all insurers that offer fully insured health insurance based on premiums, at a cost of about $25 billion. Additionally, this bill dramatically expands Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) by allowing seniors in Medicare Part A to contribute to HSAs and allowing both spouses to make catch-up contributions to the same HSA account, in addition to doubling HSA contribution limits. Instead of working with Democrats to improve health care in the United States, House Republicans are spending time to pass legislation that pushes more Americans to catastrophic health plans that will discourage Americans from taking preventative measures to avoid costly, and potentially financially devastating health issues. It is clear that this fiscally irresponsible bill is just another Republican attempt to undermine the ACA. The Rule, which was adopted yesterday, provides for one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Ways and Means. Suspensions (9 bills)
The GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Thursday, July 26: The House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to consider the Conference Report to AccompanyH.R. 5515 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. | ||
| THE DAILY QUOTE |
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| “House Republicans unveiled the broad outlines of a new tax package Tuesday... The total cost of the new package is not yet known, [Rep. Kevin] Brady [R-TX] said. But he said that the cost of making the individual tax cuts permanent would be about $600 billion. Like the original tax law, the new cuts would not be paid for and instead would add to the deficit... Multiple independent analyses have found that the GOP’s original tax law added some $1.5 trillion or more to the deficit over the next decade.” - Washington Post, 7/24/2018 |