From the Chairman: Governor Threatens to Ignore the Law
After Republicans took over the Virginia Senate, they quickly negotiated a budget deal to send to the Governor. The budget rejected the call for Obamacare expansion.
Virginia taxpayers should be grateful that our elected General Assembly did not vote to put us on the hook for these Medicaid costs. It is almost certain that the federal government will inevitably pull back on its commitment to pay for 90% of the costs.
Rather than force a government shutdown, Governor McAuliffe responded by signing the budget, but line-item vetoing the provision in the bill meant to explicitly prevent funding to expand Obamacare. While the veto was ruled out of order by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, it is unlikely to stop the Governor from trying to do it anyway. Gov. McAuliffe made it clear that he fully intends to put forward a plan soon to expand Medicaid without the statutory authority to do so.
The Governor’s announcement that he will ignore the law is disturbing. He appears to be taking his cue from President Obama who says all he needs to make new rules is a phone and a pen.
In a representative government with separation of powers, Gov. McAuliffe cannot simply make it up as he goes along. He’s not the head of the Democratic National Committee, or a suspect green automotive company, anymore. The people of Virginia should expect him to follow the law – even if he doesn’t like it.
Mark Kelly
Chairman
P.S. Remember, if you ever get audited, just tell the IRS agent that your hard drive with all the copies of your receipts, crashed. It is apparently now an “IRS-approved” excuse.