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Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) made the following statement after voting against the House legislative vehicle which will be used for nonbinding motions to instruct to the Senate-passed health care reform bill during today’s House Budget Committee reconciliation hearing.

“Today’s reconciliation hearing is the first in a series of legislative gimmicks and procedures to drive this flawed health care bill through Congress.  Because of the numerous problems with this bill, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid must now resort to procedural antics to try to pass their bill as quickly as possible just as Americans learn about its details.  Whether it is the $1 trillion price tag, $500 billion in Medicare cuts, rationing of health care, or an unprecedented expansion of the federal government that will put Washington bureaucrats directly between doctors and patients as they make health care decisions, a majority of Americans continue to oppose health care reform in the current legislation and the use of reconciliation to pass it.”

Later today during the reconciliation hearing, Congressman Latta will offer a “Motion to Instruct” that if accepted by the committee, would prevent the establishment of new bureaucracies, boards, commissions, advisory panels, or other federally sponsored entities if this health care reform legislation becomes law.  

“Real health care reform does not come in the form of government bureaucrats, red tape, and hoops to jump through as people make health care decisions with their doctors.  As the federal government continues to grow at alarming rates at the cost of American taxpayers, we as a country simply cannot afford more programs or employees on the federal government payroll.”
 
Congressman Latta will also speak in support of a Motion to Instruct sponsored by Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) that would protect American jobs and families by striking the mandates in this legislation that would increase business costs and raise individual taxes.

“With national unemployment near 10 percent, and Ohio’s 10.8 percent unemployment rate, businesses and individuals are struggling to get by and this health care reform legislation only makes our economic climate worse with tax increases and mandates.  If passed, this legislation would force businesses and individuals to pay thousands of dollars in taxes and penalties if they chose to not provide or purchase health care coverage.  Provisions like this not only hurt our chances at a faster economic turnaround, but they also discourage small business creation and growth.”