This bill primarily is to defund ObamaCare
The concurrent resolution recommends federal budget levels for the remainder of the 2017 fiscal year and for the next 10 years.
It also is being used as a mechanism to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) through the budget reconciliation process.
The national debt will increase by more than 50 percent
Over the next 10 years, revenue (taxes) is planned to increase by approximately $115 billion each year, while spending is planned to increase from $150 - $200 billion each year.
These are the numbers for this year and the final year of the budget...
| 2017 | 2026 | |
| Revenue | $2.7 trillion | $3.9 trillion |
| Spending | $3.3 trillion | $4.9 trillion |
| Deficit | $.6 trillion | $1 trillion |
This would increase the national debt from approximately $14 trillion in 2017 to $23 trillion by 2026.
This could result in defunding Obamacare
The resolution orders various congressional committees to "report changes in laws within its jurisdiction to reduce the deficit by not less than $1,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2017 through 2026."
This allows committees to propose bills would defund ObamaCare. Because they directly would affect the budget - they would be eligible to be passed using budget reconciliation.
Note: Nothing in the bill directly refers to ObamaCare. However, Congressional Republicans have stated their intent to use it for this, and previously have used this language to pass (via reconciliation) legislation to defund ObamaCare. Those bills were vetoed by President Obama.
Amendments to protect health care failed
Various amendments were proposed to preserve health care availability to all Americans... including...
o Protecting rural hospitals that lose revenue and see an increase in uninsured patients as a result of repealing Medicaid Expansion and the insurance exchanges. (Robert Casey)
o Maintaining health care coverage for children under age 26 - such as the ability for them to be covered under their parents' insurance. Also preserving insurance assistance for children with cancer. (Jeff Merkley)
o Protecting against legislation that would increase taxes on those within the bottom 60 percent of annual income while reducing taxes on those in the top 1 percent. (Jeff Merkley)
o Protecting those with pre-existing conditions. (Jeff Merkley)
o Allowing prescription drugs to be imported from Canada in order to reduce prices (Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders).
o Protecting against legislation that would allow for lifetime limits on health coverage (Christopher Coons)
o Allowing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make hearing aids more easily available to those with mild to moderate hearing loss. (Elizabeth Warren)
o Protecting against legislation that would reduce the life of the Medicare program for current and future beneficiaries. (Ron Wyden)
o Protecting against legislation that would increase health insurance company profits. (Al Franken)
o Protecting long-term services and supports for seniors. (Jack Reed)
o Protecting against legislation that increases premiums and other health care costs, or reduces the availability of providers. (Elizabeth Warren)
o Providing funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support biomedical research. (Elizabeth Warren)
o Protecting against changes to health care systems that would reduce revenue to hospitals, health care centers, and individual health care providers. (Maria Cantwell)
o Protecting against legislation that would reduce the transparency of relationships between medical manufactures and doctors - including through repeal of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act. (Amy Klobuchar)
None of these amendments were approved to be included in the bill.
More information
The resolution itself does not have the force of law. It does not need to be signed by the president. It merely sets a path that the majority of Congress has agreed to follow in drafting legislation that will be eligible for the budget reconciliation process.