GOP votes to Ban CBO from calculating effect of Obamacare repeal on budget

[ehrnst]

The move, shrouded in a “rules package” referred to as House Resolution 5, (https://policy.house.gov/legislative/bills/hres-adopting-rules-115th-congress) is an attempt to block any eventual fallout from Americans who will watch their healthcare stolen and their deficit explode in an act of political revenge meant solely to rob President Obama of his legacy. An astounded Rep. Keith Ellison exposed the shady maneuver in a tweet that promptly went viral.





https://twitter.com/keithellison/status/816967979757932544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[Volaris]

1. So much for the courage of their convictions lol

If they knew their repeal and 'replace' plan would actually work, they would be screaming the numbers in front of every tv camera in the Country.

[ehrnst]

12. This. 1000 times. (nt)

[greymattermom]

2. but if they calculate the total deficit

and it goes up a lot, what would be the explanation? Increased spending or reduced taxes. What else is there?

[groundloop]

20. they'll find a way to blame it on Medicare and Social Security, the way they always do.

[Stuart G]

3. k and r..??

[ehrnst]

4. Estimated to cost upwards of $350 billion.

[Achilleaze]

5. But on the bright side, Republicans will replace it with their very own Ministry of TRUTH

[RKP5637]

33. Exactly! And I think it will be the Orange Ass's Twitter Account ignorant babblings. n/t

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. WTF?

[n2doc]

7. That's so they can blame the deficit explosion on 'government spending'

And then vote to demolish medicaid and medicare. And steal what is left of social security.

[underpants]

8. That's the CBO's F'ing JOB!!!!

Just

[Snarkoleptic]

9. They're ALL about debt/deficit, except wherein their agenda is pushed.

It needs a hashtag...
#OstrichCongress

They stick their heads in the sand on-
CBO scoring of their pet projects
NASA satelites being used to re-re-reconfirm that climate change is a reality.
etc.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

25. Or

#HeadUpAssCongress

[KeyLimeDem]

32. Nice hashtag

The initials are HUAC, history repeats itself.

[Trust Buster]

10. The 21st century's version of the Dark Ages is descending upon us.

[Dustlawyer]

17. The Age of Disillusionment!

[Canoe52]

24. That -

Would be an understatement.

[libtodeath]

11. We are so fucked in every way.

[Cosmocat]

21. Yep!

THIS is what the fucking simpletons in this country have bought in the voting booth the last half decade.

[zipplewrath]

13. Always been their problem

This has always been a problem for them. Even during the first ACA debates, the CBO kept pointing out that the ACA would save the federal government money. The GOP can't get around this and most of their plans may work out well for individuals, states, and the insurance companies, but they typically cost the feds a lot of money. (Oh, and the federal government pays for a lot of health insurance one way or another). So they can't have the CBO shooting down their plans by pointing out how expensive they will be.

[machoneman]

16. I do wonder if the CBO would still post....

the effects and let the Republiscums try to do anything about it? I mean, what would be the penalty if they did so? And if the CBO's lawyers file suit to block this rule since one can't isolate one narrow rule to the detroment of one group (the ACA being the group)? I forget what this is called so maybe someone can quote it.

[zipplewrath]

37. Violation of federal law

You have to have authorization to spend money when you are involved in federal spending. If the CBO spent any money generating the analysis, much less publishing it, they could actually be in violation of the law.

[Va Lefty]

14. Can't let facts get in the way of rw dogma

[alarimer]

15. This is their M.O for everything

Climate change- get rid of the satellites that measure temperature and defund the agencies that study the environment
Gun deaths- just not allow the CDC to study it
Etc., etc.

If it tells them something that contradicts their worldview (or even has the potential to), just get rid of it. It's like ignoring your high blood pressure readings even though it will kill you eventually.

[Dustlawyer]

18. Medical benefits of marijuana!

That way they can keep saying it has no medicinal value!

[spanone]

19. they are fucking shameless.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

42. Psychopathic.

No shame. No remorse. Enjoys causing chaos and worse.

[lpbk2713]

22. ... as the GOP continues to stack the deck in their favor.

It's like they know the country is not paying attention.


Not a bang but a whimper.

[Botany]

23. Gerrymandering, rigged elections, and a dirty media make them untouchable

We are really fucked.

[treestar]

26. So they don't want to know?

And don't want the people to know? Could they be more obvious?

[2naSalit]

46. Hardly....nt

[pangaia]

27. But HOW to get this info, along with all the other shit they are pulling,

to "The American People?"

[BlancheSplanchnik]

45. That really is the question.

Thankful for the intertubez, but we need more.

Kills me...we liberals and progressives knew who they are long ago. Watching what we knew come to manifest now is an Unsatisfying "We warned you".

Their depravity is a bottomless pit.

[2naSalit]

47. THIS!!!

[no_hypocrisy]

28. Reminds me of how the Bush WH and the Republicans hid the costs of two simultaneous wars

on the national budget. When Obama recognized those costs and added them to the budget, republicans immediately claimed that Obama increased the federal deficit by at least $3 trillion.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. The 'la-la, we're not listening' party and method of government

The world is waiting for the grown-ups to take charge. If they behave this badly, will the midterm backlash be so big it could beat the gerrymandering and get the Democrats back in the House?

[bucolic_frolic]

30. They rejected science, now accounting ... what's next, math?

DELUSIONAL

Hiding in the sand will not change reality

[karynnj]

31. A Democrat needs to introduce a bill countering this - which will be sent to a committee to die

They then need to issue a discharge petition to force the bill out of committee for a vote. This is the only way the Minority in the House can force a bill. It would be great for Keith Ellison to do this.

Here, you have something that SHOULD be embarrassing to the Republicans and there may be enough who would sign for discharge and even vote for it.

[Achilleaze]

34. Satan joins Pooty Poot in applauding Republican "family values"

[colsohlibgal]

35. Wow

Hitler is smiling from Hell.

Stunning. This is a White Nationalist/Corporate coup underway.

[bucolic_frolic]

36. No accounting no publicity no accountability

Soon it will be illegal to publicize anything

then we won't know what they're spending, we won't know they've
stolen all the loot and bankrupted the Federal Government

[IronLionZion]

38. Same reason they've banned CDC from collecting gun death data

and they block FDA/USDA from collecting data on things like antibiotic resistance.

They don't want us to know some things so they ban agencies from collecting the data. They're deeply worried about what is in the data and know they are wrong. They know information can influence public opinion and increase pressure from their constituents.

Cowards

[world wide wally]

39. NOISE!

Dems need to make the loudest noise possible about all of this.
Flood those stupid cable news shows with spokespeople 24/7
Tweet, make speeches, TALK about it constantly...everywhere.

[SnowCritter]

40. Sent an email to my representative

Don't know how much good it will do - but Representative Emmer is a bit more reasonable than the nutcase he replaced.

[alfredo]

41. Can someone interpret this?

From the house rules package

Staff Deposition Authority – Carries forward and modifies provisions from the 114th Congress to provide the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and each standing committee of the 115th Congress the authority to order the taking of a deposition by a member of committee counsel of such committee.
Independent Payment Advisory Board – Carries forward a provision from the 113th and 114th Congresses that turns off a provision contained in the Affordable Care Act, which limits the ability of the House to determine the method of consideration for a recommendation from the Independent Payment Advisory Board or to repeal the provision in its entirety.

This is the only place the ACA was mentioned. I want to use the CBO ban and want to be able to back it up.

[Stonepounder]

43. I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the GOP really, really hates the

Constitution. They don't care about anyone but themselves and their wealthy masters. They want to act in secret, and make us a third-world country with serfs who live short and brutal lives, toiling 12-14 hrs a day to earn enough in 'scrip' to buy enough food at the company store to live another day. When they can no longer work, if they don't have a family to help them, they just die.

The wealthy, OTOH, live in luxury and never have to even come in contact with their serfs. Screw noblesse oblige, the serfs aren't really humans, they are just another work animal. And they don't care about climate change or lead poisoned water, because it won't affect them. Maybe a future generation, but hey, they only look forward to the end of this quarter to see how much richer they have become.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. They really believe if they close their eyes

what they can no longer see doesn't exist. Kind of like a child under the age of two.