U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL-15) on Friday voted in favor of a bill that would defund Planned Parenthood and repeal major components of the federal healthcare law.
The legislation was intentionally proposed as a budget reconciliation bill to take advantage of congressional rules that prevent such resolutions from being filibustered.
“I’ve voted over 60 times to dismantle Obamacare,” Shimkus said. “And while some of those bills making limited changes to the law made it to the White House, and a few were signed by the President, no Obamacare repeal of this scale has gotten past Senate Democrats’ filibuster. That streak ends when this reconciliation bill lands on President Obama’s desk.”
The healthcare-specific provisions of the bill would repeal both the individual and employer mandates, as well as a tax on insurance plans that cost more than federal ceilings permit, which is scheduled to take effect in 2018.
A review of the proposal by The Congressional Budget Office found the plan would cut the federal deficit by almost $130 billion over a decade. The savings would be redirected into building community health centers that filled the need for services similar to those offered by Planned Parenthood, Shimkus said.
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