The “Untouchable” $23.6 Billion

Ernest Istook / March 15, 2011

Untouchable.  That’s the treatment being given to the $23.6 billion being spent right now to implement Obamacare.

This $23.6 billion is part of the $105.5 billion appropriated by the last Congress to fund Obamacare.  The remainder (Think of it as post-dated checks for the other $81.9 billion.) automatically becomes available between now and FY2019.

None of this is to be confused with an additional $115 billion authorized for additional appropriation to Obamacare—but which the current Congress is unlikely to provide.

The most pressing question, however, is whether any of the current $23.6 billion will be rescinded as part of the spending reductions being pursued in Congress.

Despite campaign promises to defund Obamacare, it isn’t being done.  Why not?

The excuses are flimsy.  Claims that it “cannot” be done under House rules are wrong and misleading.  The House has constitutional authority to package legislation however it wishes.  Self-imposed rules of the House should be no barrier to action, either.  Those same rules were waived repeatedly to permit defunding of other programs in the series of continuing resolutions (CRs) that are being used to keep the full federal government open.

In the first full-year CR, the relevant rule (House Rule XXI) was waived to permit 123 previous appropriations to be rescinded.  But Obamacare funding was not touched.  Perhaps doing the same thing for the 124^th time was considered going too far? (more…)