FreedomWorks’ Member of the Month for July 2017: Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.)

Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) is FreedomWorks’ Member of the Month for July. This decision is based on Rep. Palmer’s unwavering dedication to fully repeal ObamaCare, and his consistently conservative voting record, maintaining a 92 percent lifetime score with us.

As an experienced policy expert before his election to Congress in 2014, Rep. Palmer served as president of the Alabama Policy Institute, was a founding board director of the State Policy Network, and served on four state commissions on behalf of three different governors.

Rep. Palmer currently serves on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and is the chairman of the Intergovernmental Affairs subcommittee. He has committed himself to focusing on core issues of economic freedom by cutting spending, reforming regulations, and voting to repeal ObamaCare.

Rep. Palmer has been a trailblazer on reining back the monumental growth of the federal government. Along with that growth, the tentacles of the federal government have spread to what has been referred to as “the fourth branch of government”; over 450 federal departments, agencies, and sub-agencies.

These agencies shouldn’t have the authority to make law, which is tasked to Congress under Article I of the Constitution and were not elected by the people, yet they make concerning regulatory decisions on existing law. Rep. Palmer reintroduced H.R.850 this year which would provide more oversight and transparency over these agencies and the funding they take in. Limiting the control the agencies have over altering legislation would increase accountability regarding regulatory decision making.

As a member of the House Freedom Caucus Rep. Palmer was a key player to amending the more conservative version of the House Repeal bill, by authoring an amendment that would drive down the cost of insurance and provide more state control over Medicaid through block grants.

Rep. Palmer said, “The amendment that I authored on invisible risk sharing will drive down the cost of health insurance premiums and helps ensure that those with preexisting conditions have affordable coverage. The option for states to choose to receive Medicaid funding as a per-capita cap or a block grant will provide states with more flexibility to meet the needs of their Medicaid eligible people and will reduce the waste of billions of Medicaid dollars to fraud, inefficiencies and mismanagement. The AHCA also gives states the option to establish work requirements for able-bodied adults without small children. Together, these additions to the AHCA are the most substantial entitlement reform in 50 years.”

As a champion on fighting for economic freedom and fiscal responsibility FreedomWorks is pleased to recognize Rep. Palmer as Member of the Month for July. We are proud to name a ember of Congress each month who diligently fights to preserve economic freedom and individual liberty.