Congress Goes Home To Campaign | Continuing Resolution Passed | Obamacare Remains A Mess

Today in Washington, D.C. - Sept. 19, 2014:
The House reconvened today at Noon for a few minutes before adjourning until November 12, 2014 after the elections.

Yesterday, the House was in session for twelve hours and passed the following bills and resolutions:
H.R. 4 (253 - 163) — "To make revisions to Federal law to improve the conditions necessary for economic growth and job creation, and for other purposes."
H.R. 2 (226 - 191) — "To remove Federal Government obstacles to the production of more domestic energy; to ensure transport of that energy reliably to businesses, consumers, and other end users; to lower the cost of energy to consumers; to enable manufacturers and other businesses to access domestically produced energy affordably and reliably in order to create and sustain more secure and well-paying American jobs; and for other purposes."
S.J. Res. 40 (Unanimous Consent) — "Providing for the appointment of Michael Lynton as a citizen regent of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution."
H. Res. 707 (Unanimous Consent) — "Condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and rejecting attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval or frustration over political events in the Middle East or elsewhere."
H. Res. 734 (Unanimous Consent) — "Expressing the condolences of the House of Representatives to the families of James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and condemning the terrorist acts of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant."

Yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) applauded the House passage of the American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs & More American Jobs Act (H.R. 2) and the Jobs for America Act (H.R. 4), two major jobs bills comprised of common-sense solutions to boost American energy and fuel economic growth. He said: “America’s energy boom provides an opportunity for us to reset America’s economic foundation now and for generations to come, but to get there we need a much different approach than what we’ve seen from the president and Senate Democrats. While production – and the jobs and growth that come with it - are skyrocketing on state and private land, the Obama administration has repeatedly blocked access to the vast areas under its control. The House has sent the Democratic-controlled Senate numerous bills to expand our energy infrastructure, increase exploration and production, and stop the onslaught of regulations that are raising costs and destroying jobs. That’s why we passed a bill today that combines all of these solutions into one measure that the Senate could act on immediately to put more Americans back to work, advance our energy independence, and create a better environment for private-sector growth.

“There are also, however, a number of additional steps we ought to be taking to spur job creation in America. The second package of bills we passed, H.R. 4, includes numerous common-sense solutions, like cutting red tape and simplifying and making permanent certain tax provisions, that would do just that. Many of these bills passed the House with bipartisan support and with millions of Americans still asking the question, ‘where are the jobs,’ they too deserve an immediate vote in the Senate. Taken together, these two major jobs bills would go a long way toward helping American families not just get by, but get ahead. Senate Democrats owe them that opportunity.”

Yesterday morning, Speaker Boehner delivered a speech at the American Enterprise Institute laying out his five-point long-term vision for resetting America’s economic foundation, including fixing our tax code, solving our spending problem, reforming our legal system, reining in red tape, and improving our education system.

The Senate is not in session today and is currently scheduled to hold a pro forma session at 4 PM on Monday. The Senate will return for legislative business on November 12th, when votes will be held on cloture on two district judge nominees.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 78-22 to pass H.J. Res. 124, the continuing resolution (CR) that funds the government through December 11. Prior to passage, senators voted 73-27 to invoke cloture (cut off debate) on the bill.  Earlier, Senate Democrats voted to block any possibility of amendment to the CR, with the vote failing .

GAO Report On Security Problems And Obamacare Exchange Problems:
With a new enrollment period just around the corner, CNNMoney summarizes recent news about ongoing security problems with the federal Obamacare exchange today. “Healthcare.gov still isn't as safe as it should be, and the annual open enrollment period starts again in just two months. To be clear: Hackers haven't stolen sensitive data from the Obamacare site. But ongoing security and privacy issues plague Healthcare.gov, potentially putting your personal information at risk.

“A report by the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, shows why the Obamacare website has room for improvement: Security tests aren't complete. Health officials aren't conducting full, system-wide exams to make sure everything works together safely. The Obamacare website didn't require strong passwords. The website didn't patch bugs quickly enough. The system didn't restrict test servers from accessing the Internet. That last one sounds innocuous, but it's why the Obamacare site was hacked this summer. A test server -- that was never supposed to be connected to the Internet -- got infected with malware. . . . At a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing Thursday, Gregory Wilshusen, the GAO's information security issues director, testified that the weaknesses that remain ‘put these systems and personal information at an increased and unnecessary risk of compromise.’ There could be other problems facing Healthcare.gov too -- but Wilshusen complained health officials aren't giving investigators enough access to spot problems.”

Meanwhile, many of the state health care exchanges are still struggling with bureaucratic snafus, including in states with governments dominated by Democrats that eagerly worked to push Obamacare. According to the AP, “The leader of California's health exchange said Thursday that the state is trying to improve notifications to consumers whose policies are shifted from private insurance to Medi-Cal during income checks and eligibility updates. Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee told board members that an unknown number of individuals were taken off their private health plans, then switched with no or inadequate notice to the state's version of Medicaid, which serves those who are poor, have lower-incomes or are disabled. . . . The Associated Press reported earlier this month that people who bought individual health coverage through Covered California were being dropped or transferred — often without notice — to Medi-Cal, which fewer doctors and providers accept.”

Obamacare remains a mess. The federal website still suffers from security vulnerabilities and other problems going back to its rushed, botched launch last fall. On top of that many states that set up their own exchanges are plagued with problems, like the notorious failures of the exchanges in Maryland and Oregon, or the ongoing glitches, problems and bureaucratic confusion with exchanges in Minnesota, Vermont, and California.

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