Latham: Making Congress follow the same rules you do

From Congressman Tom Latham –

I believe that it is a fundamental principle of fairness that Congress and the President should live under the same rules and laws they create for the rest of the country. I first ran for Congress on that principle and one of the first votes I ever cast as a Member of Congress was in support of legislation, known as the Congressional Accountability Act, that required Congress to follow that same principled position.

The President’s new health care law mandates that Members of Congress and their staff be forced into the health care program (the health care exchanges) created by that new law. As you may have heard or read, each Member of the House and Senate has been given until today, October 31st, to determine if they will place their staff into those new health care programs.

This option of a congressional exemption from what is clearly stated in the President’s health care law, in my opinion, violates the fairness principle by giving Congress a special privilege to bypass the health care mandate that is not also offered to any other Iowan or American.

It is no secret that I am opposed to the failed parts of the President’s health care law because I believe it will hurt more people than it will help. And, while I will continue my hard work to replace the failed parts of the law with better solutions that deliver better results for patient-centered health care reform for all Americans, I believe that it sets a dangerous precedent for any Member of Congress to pick and choose which laws they or their staff will, or will not, follow. I have always said that America is a country ruled by law, and it is important that our laws – even the ones we may not completely agree with – are followed.

Therefore, I want to personally assure you that I and my staff will be following the rule in the President’s new healthcare law that dictates that I and my staff will be entering into the new health insurance program created by that law. Not because I agree with it, but because it’s the law.

Thank you for taking time to read this update. As we move forward, I continue to stand ready to work with any of my colleagues in Congress, regardless of political affiliation, who are willing to take the time to do this right and deliver better patient-centered health care solutions for all hardworking Americans.