The House will abandon contentious border security and abortion bills in February, moving on to address Obamacare, the tax code and Common Core.
“We will begin the month renewing our commitment to individual freedom and opportunity,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a memo outlining the February agenda, referencing yet another vote to repeal Obamacare.
Speaker John Boehner admitted this week to “a couple of stumbles” as House Republicans try to prove they can govern in a new Congress.
The House was supposed to debate a “tough” border security bill last week, but leadership pulled the bill after it became apparent the bill might not have the votes to pass. Conservatives worried it was an unsubstantial bill meant to placate the base, so the GOP could move on to broader immigration reform. (RELATED: GOP Border Security Bill Removes Border Fences)
Leadership initially blamed the cancellation on an East Coast snowstorm.
Another “stumble” came when the House yanked a third-trimester abortion ban from the floor because Republican members couldn’t agree on the exact language of the bill. Instead of making a show of unity on a popular anti-abortion measure meant to coincide with the annual March for Life, the House passed a weaker bill banning federal funding of abortion.
After voting to repeal Obamacare, this time with added instructions to committees to come up with a replacement, the House will address the tax code, federal regulations and Common Core.
Leadership has planned votes on a number of measures including to make charitable deductions and a business related tax break permanent, to prevent the president from forcing states to adopt Common Core and to require strict disclosure of the cost of federal regulations.
In February the House and Senate will have to find a way to fund the Department of Homeland Security. The House has already passed a bill to fund DHS that also reverses the president’s unpopular decision to grant work permits to millions of illegal immigrants, but that bill almost certainly won’t pass the Senate.
In that case, McCarthy said House GOP will discuss with the Conference “the best way to continue to challenge the president’s unconstitutional amnesty.”
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