Speaker Boehner Calls Efforts to Protect Funding for Cancer Screenings for Women and Childhood Immunizations a ‘Political Stunt’ and ‘Playing Games’
WASHINGTON – Speaker John Boehner made a rare floor appearance today to urge his colleagues to vote against a Democratic effort to protect preventive medical care like breast and cervical cancer screenings as part of the debate to keep student loan interest rates low. Speaker Boehner’s floor speech came during the Democratic ‘motion to recommit’, which is a last-ditch parliamentary maneuver to amend the bill by a minority party. House Democrats have proposed to keep student loan interest rates low by eliminating billions of dollars in unwarranted tax subsidies to big oil.
Speaker Boehner said that the Democratic ‘motion to recommit’, which would have ensured that the Republicans’ elimination of funding for mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and childhood immunizations would not result in similar benefit cuts for people with private insurance, was a “political stunt” and Democrats were “playing games” with the issue. Earlier this week, Speaker Boehner called this program that has also been used to support health care workforce development and public health initiatives to combat diseases like obesity, diabetes and HIV/AIDS “a slush fund.” (See additional examples from The Washington Post)
“That’s amazing. Breast and cervical cancer screenings are not things you pay for with a slush fund. You don’t immunize children from infectious disease with a slush fund. You want know what a slush fund is? A slush fund is the tax loophole Republicans are protecting for the five largest oil and gas companies making record profits. That’s a slush fund,” said Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The Democratic motion would have also protected individuals with private insurance from losing coverage for commonly prescribed contraceptives, health screenings for newborns, and other benefits related to women’s and children’s health. Republicans voted down the Democratic measure.
After first ignoring the increase in student loan rates and then voting to allow the rate to increase in the Ryan Republican budget, House Republicans reversed course this week and finally agreed with Democrats to keep interest rates low. However, the House Republican bill would eliminate an important component of the Affordable Care Act that has already helped families, communities and health professionals identify and prevent chronic disease.
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