Rokita says repeal of Obamacare is a priority

Dec. 30--CHESTERFIELD -- U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita said repeal of the Affordable Care Act is expected to be the first action taken by Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump.

Rokita, R-4th District, was in Chesterfield on Wednesday to meet with members of the local Experimental Aircraft Association and discussed the upcoming session of Congress.

"The first thing we're going to do is make good on the promise to repeal Obamacare (Affordable Care Act)," Rokita said. "As vice chair of the Budget Committee that bill will come straight through our committee and so I'm going to be in the cross-section of all that."

Rokita said President Trump and congressional Republicans also promised to replace it with something that is more market based. He said the repeal and the replacement legislation will not be done at the same time.

"I'm not sure when the changes will come, but repealing Obamacare will be the first order of business," he said. "That legislation won't have the replacement components in it because the way reconciliation works the parliamentarian wouldn't allow it to go into the same bill."

Rokita said there will be a time between the repeal and the replacement.

"It will be a phase out. No one is going to fall off a cliff and no one will be left behind," he said. "There will be a step down of it as we work to replace it."

Rokita said there will be parts of Obamacare that Republicans intend to keep like 26-year-olds remaining on their parents' health insurance policy and coverage of pre-existing conditions.

He said one of the worst provisions of Obamacare was reducing the full-time work week from 40 hours per week because it took away the incentive to work.

"There is dignity in working and incentives to work," Rokita said. "We now have a law that basically says the work week goes from 40 hours to 30. That will go out with Obamacare."

Concerning the growing national debt, Rokita said any new spending programs proposed by the Trump administration will have to be paid for.

"I'm excited to work with the new president and he's calling the tune," he said. "I'm willing to meet that agenda as long as the band is paid for. Just because there is a new administration doesn't mean that I'm going to stop caring about the debt."

Rokita said President-elect Trump is proposing spending $1 trillion on infrastructure and tax reform, but it all has to be paid for.

"I'm not intending to add to the debt that is increasing," he said. "Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are really the drivers of lowering the debt.

"If you really want to start attacking the debt, that has to be in the mix," Rokita commented. "Two-thirds of our federal spending is on three programs and it's not the military and foreign aid."

He said the Trump administration has made no mention of reforming those programs.

"It's where the political rhetoric meets the fiscal reality and that will be up to the Budget Committee," Rokita said.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 640-4863.

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