U.S. Reps. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Pat Tiberi (R-OH) spoke about the upcoming 2016 agenda and key accomplishments in 2015 at a Ripon Society breakfast meeting on Thursday.
Ellmers, the chair of the Republican Women’s Policy Committee and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, started the breakfast meeting by outlining the legislative accomplishments of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“One of the big issues we were able to do earlier in the year was pass a permanent Doc Fix, or getting rid of the SGR formula,” Ellmers said. “That became a little bit of an issue coming up with the funding, but in the end, we’re actually in a much better place now. We’re going to save money in Medicare over time as a result of the changes we made to the policy. I was very proud of everyone this time around because rather than simply pass another year band aid – a billion dollar band aid – we actually went in and changed the policy. We had the political will and the guts to get in there and fix the real problem which was the source of the issue all along. I was very proud to be a part of that.”
Ellmers also touted the 21st Century Cares Act, overwhelmingly passed by the Energy and Commerce Committee and approved by the House, as well as key initiatives to focus on in the coming year.
“We also passed The 21st Century Cures Act – which is a huge package moving forward in healthcare to address the issues that are driving up costs,” Ellmers said. “We also need to get drugs through the FDA process more efficiently and effectively and in a quicker fashion. Let’s also address issues like how we get vaccines to the market not only for us in the United States, but globally, and how this will have a huge impact. The whole goal here is to come up with the cures that we know can affect the lives of every American. Out of this, if we are able to move forward with a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, or diabetes, just think of the dollars we would save when it comes to the expense of healthcare in this country. Think about how that is going to impact every family in this country.”
Ellmers also spoke of her legislation to educate the healthcare community to identify the signs and symptoms of victims of human trafficking.
“Our healthcare community has a direct contact with these victims and if we are able to educate our healthcare community to identify the signs and symptoms of someone who is being trafficked, then we can deal with the issue face to face in order to remove them from that situation,” Ellmers said. “We created a pilot program that will start within our medical and nursing schools, healthcare providers, and will have a big impact into the future.”
Tiberi then praised the passage of the Trade Promotion Authority, which he championed as chairman of the Trade Subcommittee on Ways and Means, before discussing negotiations on the possible two-year “extenders” tax break extension.
“If you would have told me that I was working hand-in-hand with Barack Obama to pass TPA – when in Ohio in 2008 he said he would never support TPA and if he became president he would repeal NAFTA – I would not have believed you,” Tiberi said. “As far as other legislation we’d like to move, I remain optimistic that we can come to an agreement on tax extenders.”
Looking forward, Ellmers said that repealing and replacing Obamacare remains a key legislative goal, as is addressing national security and poverty.
“Speaker Ryan gave a great speech at the Library of Congress last week laying out what he wants to see and what his agenda is for in 2016; such as tax reform, and to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Ellmers said. “As we know, it is not going very well right now with premiums skyrocketing. He wants to have a package of items that he can actually show to the American people that there are alternatives.
“National security is also a huge issue right now and probably the thing we’re dealing with the most, and especially with me representing Fort Bragg. It’s the topic on everyone’s mind back home. Poverty is also a big issue. Speaker Ryan is a huge advocate for good policy changes that will actually improve the situation for those in poverty. Just based on what he told us, I think we will be able to get things done next year.”