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McCarthy Sets Up Votes on Messaging Bills Ahead of Midterms

In replacing Cantor, McCarthy has big shoes to fill. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
In replacing Cantor, McCarthy has big shoes to fill. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy doesn’t state the obvious in his Friday memo to colleagues about what the chamber must contend with next month: Avoiding a government shutdown at the end of September.  

The California Republican instead outlined some other legislative items that could come to the floor in the few short weeks Congress is back in Washington before recessing again, bills that appear designed to give members prime messaging opportunities in their last sprint to the midterm elections. In the memo obtained by CQ Roll Call, McCarthy told his conference that the House would likely vote on a “consolidated energy package … that will, among other things, open federal lands, support the Keystone XL pipeline, and prevent environmental regulations that are killing American-made energy.”  

McCarthy also signaled that House Republicans would be repackaging their already-passed, 40-plus jobs bills into a single piece of legislation. The tactic is designed to put pressure on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the other Democrats who control the Senate.  

“These bills would reduce the regulatory burdens that are suffocating job growth, help small businesses access capital, and make permanent a series of tax provisions that will grow our economy,” McCarthy wrote.  

Finally, McCarthy addressed the 2010 Affordable Care Act, and urged members to talk about Obamacare’s alleged failures while home in their districts for the August recess. He touted legislation reported out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that would in part address President Barack Obama’s unfulfilled “if you like it, you can keep it” promise, but didn’t commit to bringing that bill to the floor. McCarthy also didn’t say whether he would support stand-alone legislation to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a GOP alternative — a commitment McCarthy’s predecessor, Eric Cantor, had made before his stunning primary defeat in June.

Read the full memo below:

MEMORANDUM

TO: House Republicans

FROM: Kevin McCarthy

DATE: August 8, 2014

SUBJECT: Initial September Outlook

As you travel your Districts and meet with constituents, I want to briefly update you on three items I expect the House to consider in September that you may wish to factor into your District events. I will provide additional details on the September agenda later this month. In the meantime, as always, feel free to call or email with questions or feedback.

An Agenda for American Prosperity

Jobs and Economic Growth – While the President likes to tout improving jobs numbers, the truth is that record numbers of Americans are being forced into temporary or part-time employment, with most of the so-called “growth” coming in the form of lower-wage jobs. Meanwhile, House Republicans have sent more than 40 bills to the Senate that would foster a true recovery that gets Americans back to work in good-paying jobs (for a complete list, see: https://www.speaker.gov/jobs). These bills would reduce the regulatory burdens that are suffocating job growth, help small businesses access capital, and make permanent a series of tax provisions that will grow our economy. Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats in the Senate have ignored these common-sense jobs bills. To increase pressure on Harry Reid to finally put American workers and economic growth first, we will send the Senate a single package of our jobs bills. I want to thank the Members who have suggested this approach to attempt to break the logjam in the Senate and draw more attention with Americans across the country to our solutions.

Lowering Costs on Gas and Groceries – When President Obama took office, the average cost of a gallon of gasoline was $1.85; now, it is $3.52. If you put 10 gallons in your tank, that is an extra $16! Now think what gas prices could have been had we adopted a common-sense energy policy. What if oil production on federal land had grown just as it did on private land (between 2009 and 2013, oil production on federal lands fell 6 percent while it increased by 61 percent on state and private lands)? I urge you to talk to families and businesses about how higher energy prices have impacted them and what they might be able to do (afford a night out, hire a new employee, etc.) if we had a sensible energy policy. House Republicans have sent numerous energy bills to the Senate. It is time to hold Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats accountable for their refusal to support lower energy prices and American job creation. That is why we will also send a consolidated energy package to the Senate in September that will, among other things, open federal lands, support the Keystone XL pipeline, and prevent environmental regulations that are killing American-made energy.

Healthcare – President Obama and his fellow Democrats promised that under Obamacare, if you liked your health plan, you could keep it. But last year, millions of Americans in the individual insurance market found out that wasn’t true. They lost access to the plans they had and in many cases had to pay much higher premiums. In fact, premiums increased by 40% on average nationwide from 2013 to 2014. Many small businesses were able to avoid losing access to their plans and facing higher premiums last year because they were able to renew their old plans early. For many small businesses, that will not be possible this year. A recent non-partisan government analysis found that two-thirds of all small businesses will face increases in monthly premiums – affecting 11 million Americans – as a direct result of the law. The Energy & Commerce Committee has reported a bill to allow those who purchase health care on the group market to keep the plans they had – just as the President promised. I would encourage you to speak to small businesses in your district during the month of August to collect first-hand stories to share with the Conference on what devastating consequences Obamacare has had for small businesses and their employees.

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