By Mark Ballard, The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. (TNS)
Before the U.S. House spiraled into the dysfunction of serial elections to select a leader, Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise released a packet of eight bills and three resolutions on which the lower chamber would focus in the first two weeks under Republican control.
Scalise has long pushed a focus on legislation that he says will address the needs of suffering American families. A “let’s get on with passing bills” was the main theme of his speech nominating California Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House.
The package of bills and resolutions speak to positions important to Republican voters—not so much for the Democratic ones.
It also needs to be said that few, if any, of the measures are likely to pass.
The first bill in the package aims to rescind the increased funding for the IRS that was part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Scalise, McCarthy, and other Republican leaders incorrectly but repeatedly say that the additional money would be used to hire 87,000 new agents to haunt everyday taxpayers for more money. The estimate of new hires isn’t just agents but also includes support staff over the next 10 years, details not often mentioned.
The GOP package also includes two measures concerning abortion. The bills sharpen details of the laws but don’t propose any national restriction on abortion.
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would require care to any infant surviving an abortion—rights that already are in law, say Democrats.
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act would make permanent long-standing federal funding bans that, for instance, keep Medicaid from covering abortions.
The Strategic Production Response Act would prohibit nonemergency drawdowns of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve without a plan to increase energy production on federal lands. It targets Biden’s decision to release crude oil held in reserve after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine roiled the market.
Also, the Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act would prohibit the U.S. Secretary of Energy from sending petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China.
The resolutions would allow the majority to use its oversight function to launch investigations into the president’s son, into the president’s immigration policies, and into the FBI.
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(c)2023 The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La. Visit www.theadvocate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency LLC.
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