Conservatives continue fight against government takeover of healthcare

Yesterday, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced their support of two discharge petitions which would repeal President Obama’s healthcare reform legislation.  The first petition, brought forth by Congressman Steven King (R-IA), repeals portions of the legislation and replaces them with alternative ideas.  The second, introduced by Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), repeals the entire law.  Encouraging their colleagues to sign onto the repeal effort, Boehner and Cantor issued a joint statement:

The American people asked Congress and President Obama not to pass the massive health care overhaul, and they were ignored. Three months later, they remain opposed to it, worried about the consequences it is having for job creation, the national debt, and the cost and quality of their health care. The House should immediately vote on and pass legislation that would implement the will of the American people with respect to the president’s health care law… we will be signing both discharge petitions, and encouraging our colleagues to do the same. We are committed to repealing ObamaCare and replacing it with common-sense reforms that will lower health care costs for families and small businesses, and both petitions move us closer to that goal.

These discharge petitions are just two of the many efforts being made by conservatives around the country to stop the Democrats’ healthcare takeover.  Last week, House Republicans forced a vote on Congressman Fred Upton’s (R-MI) proposal to prohibit taxpayer funds from being appropriated to the IRS for the purposes of hiring new agents to enforce the Obamacare.  Two weeks ago, they forced a vote on a proposal introduced by Congressman Dave Camp (R-MI) which sought to repeal the legislation’s unconstitutional individual mandate.  Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) has filed a lawsuit against the federal government which asserts that Congress does not possess the authority to force Americans to purchase health insurance (sign the AG’s petition here).  20 states have joined Florida’s lawsuit against the federal government over healthcare reform.  And last week the GOP released a report entitled, “ObamaCare: Three Months Of Broken Promises” which highlights the government’s inability to meet its own criteria.

President Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill may have been able to force their 2,000 page bill through Congress, but as long as freedom-loving Americans continue to speak out against its intrusive effects, the fight over healthcare reform is far from over.