Imperial Presidency
The Obama administration has decided that the sequester’s mandatory spending cuts no longer apply to part of ObamaCare.
The health care law provides subsidies to help low-income people cover some of their out-of-pocket costs. Last year, the administration said those subsidies were taking a 7 percent cut because of the sequester, which imposed across-the-board reductions in federal spending.
But now, the White House has changed its mind. It removed the cost-sharing subsidies from its list of programs that are subject to the sequester, eliminating the 7 percent cut for 2015.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which noticed the change, said the reversal would likely restore about $560 million to the subsidies — and require $560 million in cuts to other programs to make up for it. (National Journal)
The cost-sharing subsidies are expected to total $8 billion this year and $156 billion over the next decade.
The president chooses to give himself the power to pick and choose what needs funding and what doesn’t. This imperial power that he has given himself is inexcusable. The White House should not be able to change things once they have been decided.
He just will keep throwing more money into the Affordable Care Act, but that will solve nothing, except increase spending and hurting other sectors, as well as the deficit.
The sequester cuts meant nothing if the does back on cutting funds, especially from the ACA.
He promises to provide subsides…Then he withdraws the offer..Who gives him such a unquestionable power..
This is the biggest threat to American democracy in a very long time. A president shouldn’t have these powers. Obama believes he can do whatever he pleases and he is doing whatever he pleases, sadly no one is doing anything about it.
Hmmm…and will this be reflected in people’s 2015 insurance costs that they’ll probably be finding out about in October 2014, right before the election?
The question is from which program this money will be drawn from. If the money is being taken from the salaries to the members of congress and the president’s salary and pension, I agree. But if this money is being taken away important programs, I believe it is outrageous.
Agreed. Imagine all of the other important policies that need funding that will possibly fail due to lack of money. Let’s take all of the money out of greedy bureaucrats salaries to fund their precious ObamaCare.
How much they earn? I know the president earns 400K a year.
Probably more than they deserve
I thought that the goal of the sequestration was across the board spending cuts, regardless from where. If the White House has the power to choose from which programs to cut from, it is a pointless measure. Every day Obama is expanding his powers as president. This is affecting the power distribution of the three branches of government and shows that the checks and balances measures are not being fully utilized. Congress is being relegated to the weakest branch, when it was supposed to be the strongest.
The next thing that will happen is that Obama will announce that he will run for a third term and to the disenchantment of all of us, he will stay in power.
Maybe he will attempt to be the first American president to try to stay in power forever. Kim Jong-Obama.
“This change will help reduce those costs, at least for low-income families.”
The only people benefitting from ObamaCare. Let’s give them more help than they already have.
I have to say I am impressed by the title..