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Priorities in Congress begin to take shape (Rep. Phil Roe)

by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) - 01/26/11 8:08 PM ET

Earlier Tuesday, the House approved a resolution that will take our spending levels back to Fiscal Year 2008 levels for the remainder of this fiscal year. That will mean cutting a minimum out of the federal budget immediately, and that’s a good first step. However, I believe we need to go further and hope we can find at least $100 billion to cut out of the budget. This is the type of spending discipline we are going to need to get our country’s budget under control.

History has taught us the lesson that spending more will not deliver us from an unhealthy economy. Over the long-run, we are seeing the negative impact and the day-to-day burden it has placed on families all around the country.

Looking ahead, it is critical for this Congress to work together for the betterment of America. I love our country. I believe we can overcome the most difficult circumstance when we set our sights on it; I believe we can solve any problem when we work together as a team.

Another important issue I want to discuss has to do with the health care law. Tucked away in the 2,000-plus pages of the health care law is a provision that would create a harmless-sounding entity called the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). The creation of the IPAB is a flawed mandate in Obamacare that must be repealed.

This board’s sole purpose is to control Medicare costs – giving this board the authority to approve and deny funding for care. The IPAB does not have a mandate to improve patient care, but simply to meet a budget. Naturally, my concern is that this board will harm patient care.

In addition, the IPAB will lack full Congressional Oversight, compromising its accountability to the American people. This simply cannot be allowed to happen. We have bipartisan agreement around the idea that unelected bureaucrats shouldn’t be able to make unaccountable decisions.

Therefore, I’ve introduced legislation to repeal the provision creating this board, with a number of Republicans joining me as cosponsors. We know the issue will draw bipartisan support, because 50 Democrats – members such as Barney Frank, Henry Waxman and Pete Stark – expressed in a 2009 letter their opposition to creating this board as well. It’s time we act and repeal this provision before the board makes a decision that can’t be reversed.