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Politics-watchers could be forgiven for thinking Marlin Stutzman has the 2014 campaign in the bag already. He's rolling through his second term in office. At the end of March, he had $430,000 available to stage a race. Better yet for the incumbent, he has a strongly Republican district as a venue in which to stage that re-election race.

Not everyone's convinced. Stutzman faces two Republicans who oppose him in the primary, and three Democrats are competing for the chance to face off against the Republican winner in November.

Several of those in the congressional primary who aren't the incumbent say Congress is a stagnant flop, incapable of governing, but Stutzman says he's still enthusiastic. Republicans who hold the majority in the House of Representatives have accomplished more than they're routinely credited with.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, is a prime example. Noting the scores of times the House has voted to repeal the law without seeing it repealed is a standard measure of the prevailing haplessness in Congress. But Stutzman points out that through Congressional pressure (as well as many acts of litigation) the law has been sharply constrained.

By his count earlier this year, the Congress had forced 15 changes in Obamacare, the Supreme Court decision in 2013 brought two major changes and President Obama's administration itself has changed deadlines, rules and requirements 20 times.

Simply put, it's death by a thousand cuts, he said.

More broadly, Stutzman sees three looming priorities that Congress and the nation need to tackle:

*The nation's debt. Although the annual deficit has recently dropped because of the spending cuts imposed by the sequestration deal and the tax cuts that lapsed, people shouldn't assume that improvement will continue. If interest rates go up at all, it's going to blow, he said.

*Tax policy. The nation's economy is ready to grow, Stutzman said, but that growth is going to be hobbled if taxes aren't reduced.

*Medicare. The biggest part of constraining future budget growth is restraining the growth of Medicare spending as more Baby Boomers age into eligibility for the federal insurance program.

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Three Republicans, three Democrats lined up for a chance at Congress

By Niels Lesniewski Posted at 4:50 p.m. on April 29, 2014

Five House Republicans from Louisiana want to see the states Senate delegation try to delay confirmation of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be Health and Human Services secretary until they get assurances about equitable enforcement of health care law provisions.

Its likely to be an ill-fated exercise, one thats clearly about pressuring Democratic Sen. Mary L. Landrieu.

Families across Louisiana have faced cancelled health insurance plans, rising health insurance premiums, and the loss of access to doctors and hospitals while watching the Administration pick political favorites through selective exemptions from the ACA. It is wholly unfair for families to still be threatened with penalties from the IRS at the same time as insurance companies and businesses are granted unilateral relief, the letter said. Please join us in calling for fairness for all under the law by placing a hold on Ms. Burwells nomination until she agrees to provide equitable treatment for all Americans under the Affordable Care Act.

In a brief interview with CQ Roll Call, lead signatory Steve Scalise, R-La., suggested that, Burwell might pledge to expand a hardship exemption under Obamacare to everyone.

Clearly President Obama has not enforced the law fairly and neither has Secretary [Kathleen] Sebelius, Scalise said of the outgoing HHS leader. Theyve left regular hardworking taxpayers in a lurch.

Weve asked our two senators to seek a hold if she doesnt in fact make that commitment, he said.

Scalise and his fellow Louisiana Republicans are making a request that lacks teeth to stop or even significantly delay Burwells confirmation. In aftermath of last years deployment of the nuclear option to effectively change Senate rules with a simple majority vote, only a majority is needed to get a Cabinet secretary through to confirmation.

That means even a united GOP front in the Senate using Burwell as a proxy in the battle over what Republicans view as improper executive actions to make changes to the health care law would not imperil her confirmation.

With 55 members of the Senate Democratic caucus, a hold from Sen. David Vitter, R-La., would seem unlikely to hold water.

Read the rest here:
Louisana Republicans Push 'Hold' on Burwell Nomination

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