Thornberry talks issues, agenda with editorial board

Wichita Falls Times Record News (TX)

Jan. 16--Overturning daunting regulations, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, tax reform and rebuilding the nation's military are just a few of the items the 115th Congress will take up in its new session,Texas 13th Congressional District Rep. Mac Thornberry told the newly seated Times Record News editorial board.on Monday.

This was the congressman's first visit back to the district since the new Congress on Jan. 3.

President Barack Obama's signature legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, garnered the most attention as Thornberry explained what has happened to this point, and what House Republicans want to do. He said the House and Senate this past week passed legislation that set up "shell" budgets, which sets up the process for parts of Obamacare, as the law has become known as, through reconciliation.

"It's not a budget that decides anything other than setting up this mechanism by which the Obamacare repeal and replace can begin," he said.

He said the legislation doesn't go to the president's desk for consideration, rather it's a procedural item that allows taxing and spending issues to be passed in the Senate with a majority 51 votes as opposed to 60. He said most votes in the Senate require 60 votes to stop a filibuster and with 52 Republicans in the Senate, a filibuster would be likely on several of the issues the Republican-led chambers will take up.

Approving appointments, reconciliation and Congressional Review Act are just a couple example where 51 votes are needed to pass a bill in the upper chamber.

Thornberry said Obamacare health plan premiums, according to the national average, have gone up 25 percent, which has made some of the plans unaffordable for Americans. He said the individual mandate, which requires the uninsured to get insurance or be penalized, has much to do with it.

There are a few things that Republicans do agree should remain from Obamacare, and that's provision that a person cannot be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition as well as parents being able to carry their children until age 26. He said the issue is frustrating because it's not as simple as flipping a switch and replacing one with another. The process will take some time, but ultimately has to be done, he said, because Obamacare isn't sustainable under the current law.

"Inevitably, Obamacare is collapsing under its own weight," he said. "Our job is to try to prevent that from happening, but obviously it won't be easy and we'll get blamed for the turmoil in getting from here to there. But on the other hand, to sit there and say, 'Hmmm. It's collapsing. Let it collapse,' and then say, 'OK, we'll pick up the pieces later' is completely irresponsible."

Rebuilding the nation's military is also a priority for Republicans, said Thornberry, who also serves as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, which is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of Defense. The congressman said he is of the President Teodore Roosevelt school of thought to "walk softly, but carry a big stick" when it comes to working with other countries, whether it be China, Russia or any other nation. He said having retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, who was approved by both chambers to lead the Pentagon after just three years removed from active-duty service, will be beneficial to the military services and the nation. The last time Congress had to give special consideration to a career military officer to lead the DoD before the required seven-year separation was in the 1950s when Gen. George Marshall was appointed to the position.

Thornberry said one of the decisions he will have to make relatively soon is whether another Base Realignment and Closure round is warranted. He said that's where the Sheppard Military Affairs Committee continues to play an important role in promoting Sheppard, something some cities with military bases took for granted during the last BRAC round in the early 2000s.

Aside from global threats from other countries and terrorist groups, Thornberry said the HASC "extensively accelerate" work in cyber defense, especially as it relates to protecting the country's businesses and industries. He said the military has the best cyber professionals within Cyber Command, the military's organization creating specifically for cyberspace operations and cyber defense.

Just as the military protects the nation's borders, he said they will work to find ways for the military to protect cyber networks.

"The refineries in the Houston ship channels cannot fend off the most sophisticated cyber attacks from nation states on their own," he said. "Only the United States government can help do that."

Thornberry said U.S. citizens should also expect to see sweeping tax reform, especially when it comes to corporate and individual taxes. He said part of that is figuring out how to bring products back to the U.S. without such a high tax rate, which penalizes those companies and keeps the items, and money, overseas.

Follow John Ingle on Twitter at @inglejohn1973.

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