LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – While the American Health Care Act awaits a vote on the House Floor, the state of Texas could have a big voice in whether or not this legislation ever hits the desk of President Trump.
District 19 Congressman Jodey Arrington voted for the legislation to go through last week during a hearing in the House Budget Committee.
Meanwhile, many conservatives are still voicing concern that the current legislation doesn’t go far enough.
That is why 65 Texas House and Senate members have signed off on a letter, urging the entire Texas Congressional Delegation in Washington to fully repeal the entire law.
The letter was written by our district’s House Representative, Dustin Burrows, and was just released to the public today.
All signatures are from members of the Texas Conservative Coalition, including our district’s senator, Charles Perry.
The letter asks our state’s representatives at the Federal level to fully repeal Obamacare and to let the states have control back in setting their own health insurance regulations.
“We sent it to all of the Texas senators and all of the Texas congressmen and just stated that the solutions are best left up to the state to come up with. We’ve got great ideas here in Texas and we welcome the responsibility and the opportunity to come up with them,” Representative Burrows said.
Meanwhile, Congressman Jodey Arrington, voted last week to pass the Republican health care legislation forward, despite the current bill not fully repealing Obamacare.
That committee was nearly split, with a tight vote of 19-17 in favor of moving the bill forward.
“I don’t want to overlook, and I don’t think the American people who are conservatives, like those who live primarily in West Texas, should overlook the fact that this is one of three phases or one step in a three-step process to full repeal and fully replace Obamacare,” Congressman Arrington said.
But Burrows and his colleagues who signed on to the letter say they still hope for more control to come back to the states.
“I’m not up there in the debates and I would never tell our congressman how to do his job, but certainly as somebody who is representing the state of Texas who is responsible for the Texas budget, who wants to see more money invested in our schools, our roads and property tax relief I felt compelled to write the letter to urge all of the congressmen to fully repeal it. And give us the opportunity back,” Representative Burrows said.
The legislation will have to receive 218 votes in the House to make its way to the Senate.
Congressman Arrington says he will continue to push for certain provisions, such as creating a work requirement for able-bodied adults who apply for Medicaid.
“I’m not stopping, I’m not slowing down until we get this thing into the best position it can be in for my constituents,” Congressman Arrington said.
When asked if he had read the American Health Care Act in full, Congressman Arrington said he did.
“After the criticism I levied on the Democrats under the leadership of Nancy Pelosi for not reading the bill, passing it to find out what was in it, I wasn’t gonna make that mistake and not read the bill.”
The legislation moves to the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, and Arrington says the bill could see a vote on the House floor as soon as this week.
Read more here: http://www.kcbd.com/story/34957715/representative-dustin-burrows-writes-letter-urging-full-repeal-of-obamacare