Rep. Steve Womack on Government Funding, CRs, and Obamacare Subsidies

Government Funding Stalemate

• 📌 Congressman Womack explains that the current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires on November 21st, necessitating action within the next week.
• 💡 He states that the exact nature of the next step, or "Plan B," is currently unknown, even to him.
• ⚠️ A full-year CR is deemed a bad idea because it would prevent new programs and fail to address current national security needs.

Republican Appropriations Work

• 🏛️ House Republicans have completed significant work on appropriations, with 12 bills out of committee, three passed by the House, and three in conference with the Senate.
• 🎯 The goal is to pass full-year appropriations, which is considered an Article One responsibility.
• 🚫 The inability to complete this work is attributed to not being in session, making it difficult to finalize bills.

Recisions and Democratic Concerns

• 💰 Democrats are concerned about rescissions (refusals to spend appropriated money) and furloughs, which the White House has criticized.
• 🤝 Womack suggests that if Democrats are concerned about executive overreach, they should pass the existing CR, which would reopen the government and allow for further negotiations.
• 🇺🇸 He emphasizes that passing the CR would save federal jobs, including those in critical agencies like HHS and NIH, and ensure pay for military members and essential workers.

Obamacare Subsidies Debate

• 🏥 Womack expresses opposition to the enhanced Obamacare subsidies, distinguishing them from the initial subsidies required to make the Affordable Care Act affordable.
• 💸 He argues that these enhanced subsidies go to individuals making significantly more money than originally intended.
• 🗓️ He points out that Democrats themselves planned for these enhanced subsidies to expire at the end of the year, questioning their current insistence on extending them.