Will divided Republicans help implement ObamaCare?

I am extremely frustrated. I feel some in our party truly aren’t doing enough to stop ObamaCare. Yes, I recognize that our party has control of only one-third of the process. Nonetheless, facts, logic and commonsense are overwhelmingly on our side. Doubt this? Approach someone on any main street and tell them that you think our nation should speed ahead with more than a trillion dollars in new entitlement spending even though we are borrowing almost $700 billion annually, much of it from countries like China.

A complicating factor is some in our party refuse to consider any strategy that does not stop ObamaCare today. I fully support stopping ObamaCare today but recognize that, with control of only one-third of the legislative process, we are significantly outnumbered. This does not mean, however, that we should shrug our shoulders and accept ObamaCare.

{mosads}The problem is that our party is divided into two camps that are focused more on fighting each other than the high-priority mission: communicating to the American people that it is dangerous (and insane) to rush ahead with more than a trillion dollars in new entitlement spending in the middle of a debt crisis. The predictable outcome, if we do not change course quickly, is that Republicans will be complicit in preserving ObamaCare when we had a great chance to end it.

We can, and must, do better. I introduced on Monday a one-week continuing resolution (CR) that funds government at sequestration levels but as a condition would require an up-or-down vote that will showcase Democrats’ irresponsible, reckless demand. I have asked House Republican leaders to focus on passing short-term CRs that will take a government shutdown off the table while requiring Democrats to vote repeatedly on the following resolution:

Congress affirms that it makes sense for the United States to rush ahead with $1.3 trillion in new entitlement spending under the Affordable Care Act even though our Nation is in the middle of a debt crisis and Social Security and Medicare are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Because we are presently unable to defund ObamaCare, it is essential that we at least require a series of short term CRs that will include, each time, an up-or-down vote forcing Democrats to reaffirm that they want to impose a costly new entitlement that will make our existing debt crisis worse. This takes a government shutdown off table while putting the irresponsible economics of ObamaCare before the American people on a recurring basis.

Obviously Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will object; however, he will have to explain why. Does he disagree that ObamaCare is a new $1.3 trillion entitlement program? Does he dispute that adding nearly $700 billion in debt annually is a dangerous fiscal problem that we must address?

Republicans have a choice. We can continue as a house divided and allow ObamaCare to go into effect while we point fingers and wage war internally, or we can unite to force Democrats to take repeated votes showcasing their fanatical borrow-and-spend policy agenda. Stay tuned! The answer will soon become clear.

Crawford has represented Arkansas’s 1st Congressional District since 2011. He serves on the Agriculture, and the Transportation and Infrastructure committees.