House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy: Obamacare weighs on U.S. economy and impairs our 'engines of prosperity' from running at full throttle

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Whip and Bakersfield Republican, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

 "In this stale economic climate, this morning’s unemployment numbers were encouraging, but one thing remains clear:  America’s engines of prosperity are not running at full throttle.  This week,

the President accused Congressional Republicans of not offering solutions to the pressing issues of our day.  He should know that as the first session of this Congress comes to a close, nearly 150 bills passed by the House have yet to be acted on by the Senate.  More importantly, dozens of those bills seek to not only boost job creation nationwide, but also strengthen our local and state economy.  From increasing domestic energy supply by opening up federal lands for production,  to reforming job training programs, reducing unnecessary regulations and providing more flexibility to working families – these bills have been collecting dust as the Senate refuses to serve the will of the American people.

 "We cannot talk about our country’s business climate without pointing out the obvious weight of Obamacare on employers, employees, and families.  I refuse to accept the President’s logic that Obamacare is the only single way towards affordable health care.  While he claims that Republicans have never offered any ideas of their own, back in 2009, both House and Senate Republicans introduced several patient-based alternatives to Obamacare.  These alternatives, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), would have reduced average health insurance premiums in the individual market 5-8 percent while simultaneously cutting the federal deficit by $68 billion over ten years.  These alternatives would have offered safeguards for individuals with pre-existing conditions, and allow the purchase of insurance plans across state lines.  Most importantly, our plans would not result in the skyrocketing prices in the way Obamacare does.  

 "This week, while the President touted enrollee numbers of 29,000 during another “re-launch” of HealthCare.gov, he ignores that the law has resulted in the cancellation of 5.6 million insurance plans.

  "It’s time the Senate begins considering the jobs bills gathering dust on Harry Reid’s desk to put Americans back to work, and it’s time for the President to come to the table and have a real conversation on improving our business climate and jumpstart our economy.