The U.S. House of Representatives on April 26, 2023, voted 219-210 to pass H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, which aims to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling and includes provisions related to congressional review of agency rulemaking known as the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.
The bill requires Medicaid beneficiaries to meet an 80-hour per month requirement to report unless there are exemptions to meet.
This includes new work requirements for Medicaid enrollees in exchange for lifting the debt ceiling.
“People with disabilities would need a doctor or other medical professional to deem them ‘physically or mentally unfit for employment,’” said Susan Stonecypher-Hawkins, director from The Arc. “Which is not standard for disability determination.”
The bill was passed in the House of Representative as it is composed of a Republican majority. It’s expected to be voted down in the Senate that is controlled by a Democratic majority.
Congressional Reps. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), and Matt Gaetz (Fla.) were the only conservative Members of congress along with the Democrats to oppose the bill.
In the bill, it cuts down on SNAP, a program designed for food stamps, repeal credits for renewable energy, suspends the debt limit until March 24, 2024, and rescinds unobligated funds that addresses COVID-19 and the Internal Revenue Service.
The REINS Act would require congressional approval of certain major agency regulations before the rules could take effect. The REINS Act defines major agency regulations as those that have financial impacts on the U.S. economy of $100 million or more, increase consumer prices, or have significant harmful effects on the economy. A version of the REINS Act was passed in Wisconsin in 2017. A Florida law with similar provisions to the REINS Act was enacted in 2010. Republican lawmakers have introduced the REINS Act during every session of Congress since the 112th Congress (2011-2012).
Congressional representative Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) introduced the REINS Act in the 118th Congress with more than 170 Republican cosponsors. Following the vote on the Limit Save, Grow Act, Cammack released the following statement: “With the passage of the Limit, Save, Grow Act, the most historic regulatory reform in history—the REINS Act—is one step closer to law. The regulatory regime has gone unchecked for decades, and it’s time we return power to the American people, not the nameless, faceless bureaucrats in Washington.”
President Biden has stated that he will veto the Limit, Save, Grow Act if it reaches his desk. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in January, “Congress is going to need to raise the debt limit without—without—conditions, and it’s just that simple.”
Biden and Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) last spoke in February regarding the federal debt limit as both member spoke frankly and productively in regard to the spending bill.
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