Key Vote Alert – “No” on SGR Replacement Bill (HR ___)
KEY VOTE ALERT
“No” on SGR Replacement Bill (HR ___)
The Club for Growth urges all members of Congress to vote “NO” on the SGR Replacement Bill (HR ___) that was recently introduced in the House without being fully offset. A vote on this bill which could include partial offset language yet to be released is expected sometime next week. This vote will be included in the Club’s 2015 Congressional Scorecard.
For the past decade and a half, Congress has routinely passed “doc fix” bills that increased reimbursements to health care providers in the face of scheduled cuts. These fixes papered over the well-intended Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula that tried to tamp down health care costs, but was extremely flawed. In any legislation replacing the SGR formula, the Club’s top concern is that it is fully paid for with sensible reforms. Unfortunately, this bill falls woefully short of that goal. News reports state that the 10-year cost of the new bill is $200 billion, of which only $70 billion will be offset. Part of this huge price tag is a 2-year extension of CHIP, a program that should be terminated. Worse, a cost estimate by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget suggests this bill will add $400 billion to the national debt over 20 years. All of this, of course, assumes that Congress will abide by the $70 billion offset. But we consider it far from certain that they will.
If an official cost estimate comes out that shows this bill is fully offset by real spending cuts or reforms, the Club will remove its objections to the plan.
Our Congressional Scorecard for the 114th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.
Vote Results
Club Position
No
Required for Majority
1/2
Vote Results
Bill Passed
Vote Number
144
Vote Date
April 14, 2015
Vote Counts
YEAs:
88
NAYs:
8
Not Voting:
0
Lamar Alexander
TN
R
Y
Kelly Ayotte
NH
R
Y
Tammy Baldwin
WI
D
Y
John Barrasso
WY
R
Y
Michael Bennet
CO
D
Y
Richard Blumenthal
CT
D
Y
Cory Booker
NJ
D
Y
Barbara Boxer
CA
D
Y
Sherrod Brown
OH
D
Y
Richard Burr
NC
R
Y
Maria Cantwell
WA
D
Y
Shelley Moore Capito
WV
R
Y
Benjamin Cardin
MD
D
Y
Thomas Carper
DE
D
Y
Bob Casey
PA
D
Y
Bill Cassidy
LA
R
Y
Daniel Coats
IN
R
Y
Thad Cochran
MS
R
Y
Susan Collins
ME
R
Y
Christopher Coons
DE
D
Y
Bob Corker
TN
R
Y
John Cornyn
TX
R
Y
Tom Cotton
AR
R
Y
Mike Crapo
ID
R
Y
Ted Cruz
TX
R
N
Steve Daines
MT
R
Y
Richard Durbin
IL
D
Y
Michael Enzi
WY
R
Y
Joni Ernst
IA
R
Y
Dianne Feinstein
CA
D
Y
Deb Fischer
NE
R
Y
Jeff Flake
AZ
R
Y
Al Franken
MN
D
Y
Cory Gardner
CO
R
Y
Kirsten Gillibrand
NY
D
Y
Lindsey Graham
SC
R
Y
Chuck Grassley
IA
R
Y
Orrin Hatch
UT
R
Y
Martin Heinrich
NM
D
Y
Heidi Heitkamp
ND
D
Y
Dean Heller
NV
R
Y
Mazie Hirono
HI
D
Y
John Hoeven
ND
R
Y
James Inhofe
OK
R
Y
Johnny Isakson
GA
R
Y
Ron Johnson
WI
R
Y
Tim Kaine
VA
D
Y
Angus King
ME
I
Y
Mark Kirk
IL
R
Y
Amy Klobuchar
MN
D
Y
James Lankford
OK
R
Y
Patrick Leahy
VT
D
Y
Mike Lee
UT
R
N
Joe Manchin
WV
D
Y
Edward Markey
MA
D
Y
John McCain
AZ
R
Y
Claire McCaskill
MO
D
Y
Mitch McConnell
KY
R
Y
Robert Menendez
NJ
D
Y
Jeff Merkley
OR
D
Y
Barbara Mikulski
MD
D
Y
Lisa Murkowski
AK
R
Y
Christopher Murphy
CT
D
Y
Patty Murray
WA
D
Y
Bill Nelson
FL
D
Y
Rand Paul
KY
R
Y
David Perdue
GA
R
N
Gary Peters
MI
D
Y
Rob Portman
OH
R
Y
Jack Reed
RI
D
Y
Harry Reid
NV
D
Y
Jim Risch
ID
R
Y
Pat Roberts
KS
R
Y
Mike Rounds
SD
R
Y
Marco Rubio
FL
R
N
Bernie Sanders
VT
I
Y
Ben Sasse
NE
R
N
Brian Schatz
HI
D
Y
Chuck Schumer
NY
D
Y
Tim Scott
SC
R
N
Jeff Sessions
AL
R
N
Jeanne Shaheen
NH
D
Y
Richard Shelby
AL
R
N
Debbie Stabenow
MI
D
Y
Dan Sullivan
AK
R
Y
Jon Tester
MT
D
Y
John Thune
SD
R
Y
Thom Tillis
NC
R
Y
Pat Toomey
PA
R
Y
Tom Udall
NM
D
Y
David Vitter
LA
R
Y
Mark Warner
VA
D
Y
Elizabeth Warren
MA
D
Y
Sheldon Whitehouse
RI
D
Y
Roger Wicker
MS
R
Y
Ron Wyden
OR
D
Y