House GOP Leader Blocking Vote on Clean Funding Bill That Would Pass With Bipartisan Support

BATON ROUGE — As the government is shut down for the third straight day and thousands of Louisianians are furloughed, the Republican candidates in the 5th Congressional District have yet to say whether they stand with the extremists that forced the shutdown or with the growing number of Republicans that support a clean funding bill that will reopen the government.

“The Republicans running for Congress in Louisiana’s 5th District should tell the voters whether they back John Boehner’s shutdown or if they would vote in favor of a clean funding bill that would reopen the government and get Louisiana’s workers back on the job,” said Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Stephen Handwerk. “Speaker Boehner is refusing to allow a vote on a bill that would pass with support from a majority of our elected representatives. Even former Congressman Alexander thinks the Tea Party extremists that are shutting down the government have gone too far. Enough is enough — and the voters deserve to know where Neil Riser, Clyde Holloway, Jay Morris and the rest of the Republicans stand.”

The Huffington Post is reporting that 20 House Republicans would back a continuing resolution to fund the government, without delaying or repealing the Affordable Care Act. Combined with House Democrats, there are enough votes to pass the clean funding bill, but Speaker John Boehner has not brought the bill up for a vote.

Former Congressman Rodney Alexander, who stepped down last week from his seat representing the 5th District, told the Times-Picayune the Republicans that have shut down the government over the Affordable Care Act “are probably overreaching.”

The Health Insurance Marketplace opened for enrollment on Tuesday, but the Affordable Care Act is already benefiting the people of Louisiana’s 5th District in the following ways:

  • 8,500 young adults in the district now have health insurance through their parents’ plan.

  • More than 10,400 seniors saved an average of $840 on their prescription drugs last year.

  • 11,100 consumers received nearly $1 million in rebates on their health insurance premiums in 2011 and 2012.

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