Gardner’s amendment to cut Obamacare spending passes House

As the House debates a bill to continue funding the federal government, Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CD4) was able to successfully tack on an amendment that would cut the purse strings for a critical piece of the President’s healthcare law.

House Republicans have made it a top priority to eliminate as much funding as possible for the President’s healthcare law. Specifically, Rep. Gardner’s amendment would defund the state-based exchanges, which he says are forcing consumers into a “one size fits all” mandated insurance program.

“This is a common sense amendment that cuts unnecessary spending and throws a wrench in the growth of government bureaucracy,” Rep. Gardner said. “Allowing the execution of these healthcare exchanges would be a disaster for patients and cash strapped states.”

Rep. Gardner’s amendment was inserted in the Continuing Resolution, a bill that will keep the government running through September. This is the first time in history that a CR has been debated openly.

Since the bill became publicly available last Friday, over 500 amendments have been filed and pre-printed in the Congressional Record for consideration. The open process has yielded over dozens of hours of debate, allowing Members the ability to offer amendments and be heard.