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The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Week of June 19, 2023

Washington, June 18, 2023
Here’s what to watch for on the House Floor this week:
 
Expanding Health Care Choices for Workers and Small Businesses

When it comes to health care, one size doesn’t fit all; and for an employee under a traditional group plan or a small business trying to choose a plan for its workers, that can cause a lot of stress.

Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) allow small businesses and employers to provide tax-advantaged funds to workers to use for qualified medical expenses. 

In 2019, the Trump Administration implemented rules that expanded HRAs to allow employees to purchase their own health insurance plan using these tax advantaged accounts. This gave workers the ability to choose their health care plan and lets small businesses focus on their business and plan better financially.

The Trump Administration also strengthened and expanded Association Health Plans to give more people greater access to more affordable health care options.
 

Rep. Kevin Hern’s legislation, H.R. 3799, the CHOICE Arrangement Act, which also includes H.R. 2868, Rep. Tim Walberg's legislation, the Association Health Plans Act; Rep. Claudia Tenney's legislation, H.R. 3798, the Small Business Flexibility Act; and H.R. 2813, Rep. Bob Good's legislation, the Self-Insurance Protection Act, codifies the Trump Administration's two rules to ensure small business owners and employees are able to have these more affordable health care options, includes a notification to employers to make sure they know these options exist, and protects the self-insured market that employers depend on.

This legislation provides more flexibility and financial certainty for small businesses while also expanding health care options for employees – it’s a common-sense solution that benefits everyone. Workers and small businesses deserve more flexibility and choice when it comes to health care, and House Republicans are here to deliver.


Denouncing Biden’s Veto of Legislation Stopping Unconstitutional Student Loan Bailout

President Biden is putting hardworking taxpayers on the hook for unpaid student loans through unconstitutional overreach of the executive branch.

In August, President Biden revealed his plan to ‘cancel’ student debt for people making under $125,000 – a plan that is estimated to cost American taxpayers $400 billion, in addition to $195 billion from a repayment pause and $230 billion for the Administration’s Income-Driven Repayment plan.

This plan doesn’t ‘cancel’ anything. It forces American taxpayers who never took out loans or paid them off to pay off debt held by about 13% of the population who took out federal loans. 

Not only does this shift costs to taxpayers, but the Biden Administration’s so-called ‘authority’ to transfer this debt is completely unconstitutional. Six states are challenging President Biden’s student loan cancellation before the Supreme Court.


H.J. Res. 45, introduced by Rep. Bob Good, revokes the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional claim to have the authority to forgive loans and ends the pause on student loan repayment, saving taxpayers money. 

Despite this resolution passing both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support, President Biden vetoed it, holding on to his expanded power at the expense of taxpayers.

President Biden’s plan is a slap in the face to the Americans who have paid their debts and a massive overreach of executive power. House Republicans won’t stop fighting for hardworking taxpayers. 


Condemning Housing Illegal Immigrants in School Facilities

As Biden’s border crisis rages on, the migrant surge is overwhelming communities across the United States.

In May of 2023, as part of an effort to deal with the massive influx of migrants, New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams announced his plan to house illegal immigrants in public school gyms.


While public outcry ultimately put a stop to this school takeover, a dangerous precedent has been set, and other cities are reportedly looking at putting similar plans in action, such as Chicago.

Schools should be focused on providing the best opportunities to their students, who are already suffering from post-pandemic learning loss, not taking aways their access to safe physical education and extracurricular activities.

Additionally, housing illegal immigrants in school gyms poses a significant safety risk to the young students at those schools and disrupts their learning environment.

H. Res. 461, introduced by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, condemns housing illegal immigrants in elementary and secondary school facilities.


House Republicans are fighting to make sure that children in schools aren’t suffering because of President Biden’s refusal to secure the border. Will Democrats join us in supporting students and schools, or will they continue to fail to act?


Blocking FHFA’s Unfair Housing Rule Penalizing Reliable Borrowers

In January of this year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced changes to the pricing grid for single family loans, resulting in an increase in fees for many borrowers with higher credit and a decrease in fees for many borrowers with lower credit.

Under the new federal housing rule, buyers with a credit score over 680 pay about $40 more each month on a $400,000 loan. Buyers who make down payments of 20 percent on their home will see some of the highest fee increases, while most riskier borrowers actually see a reduction in fees. 

Essentially, this forces reliable borrowers with good credit to subsidize riskier loans for less reliable borrowers with low credit.
 

 
Why should we penalize borrowers who have worked hard to pay their bills and establish good credit? It is unfair to punish borrowers for maintaining good credit and reward borrowers who haven’t. The FHFA should be using risk-based principles in setting fees.

We must have more transparency to Congress and to the American public when it comes to the federal regulators’ decision making process for fee setting.
 

Rep. Warren Davidson’s legislation, H.R. 3564, the Middle Class Borrower Protection Act of 2023, cancels the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s changes to single-family mortgage pricing framework that makes reliable borrowers with good credit subsidize riskier loans, and makes sure such changes cannot be done in the future. 

House Republicans are standing up for the families who have worked hard to establish good credit and fighting against this irrational rule that ultimately puts taxpayers at risk.