Key Vote YES on the Healthcare Choice Amendment to the Interior, Environment, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, H.R. 6147

On behalf of FreedomWorks’ activist community, I urge you to contact your senators and ask them to vote YES on the Healthcare Choice Amendment, No. 3402, to the Interior, Environmental, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, H.R. 6147, offered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). This amendment would prohibit funds from being used to carry out the District of Columbia’s recently-passed Health Insurance Requirement Act.

Following the elimination of Obamacare’s individual mandate tax penalty, D.C. took action to create a mandate of their own, theirs being even worse than Obamacare’s. Wrapped up in a 297-page Budget Support Act, the mandate was passed by the D.C. Council in a hushed process. The press release issued the next day on the meeting made no mention of the mandate.

It is no wonder that the law was passed so quietly. The D.C. mandate states that a “taxpayer who fails to pay the District of Columbia shared responsibility payment imposed…shall be subject to all collection, enforcement, and administrative provisions applicable to unpaid taxes or fees, as provided in Chapter 18, Chapter 41, Chapter 42, Chapter 43, and Chapter 44 of this title.” When dissected fully, this includes levying and seizing property, or even imprisoning individuals for choosing not to purchase health insurance.

Under Article I, Section 8 Clause 17 of the Constitution, Congress has the explicitly enumerated power to “exercise executive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over” the District of Columbia. In accordance with this, the House passed its version of this amendment, offered by Reps. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), Mark Walker (R-N.C.), and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), by a vote of 226-189, with only 4 Republican no votes. There is no reason that the Senate should not follow suit and adopt Sen. Cruz’ amendment to exercise this constitutional power for the good of the people.

FreedomWorks will count the votes for the Healthcare Choice Amendment, No. 3402, to the Interior, Environmental, Financial Services, and General Government Appropriations Act, H.R. 6147 on our 2018 Congressional Scorecard. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of the House and Senate who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.

Sincerely,

Adam Brandon, President, FreedomWorks