Thank you Chairman Miller. I appreciate the opportunity to speak, but I want to be clear that I wish we were here today under different circumstances. Approximately 24 hours ago, we first laid our hands on this 1,018 page monstrosity that has the potential to upend our entire health care system. I’ve done my best, as have other Members on this side of the aisle, to examine the bill and understand ... Read more »
For months, supporters of the Employee Free Choice Act have been pushing for its passage in Congress. They have held rallies. They have run ad campaigns. They even enlisted cast members from “The West Wing” to help them out. The result from all this work? Let’s go to the scoreboard, courtesy of Rasmussen Reports: “[A] new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of adults do not ... Read more »
Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, today called on congressional Democrats to pull back from their arbitrary deadlines for voting on an overhaul of our nation’s health care system and give Members of Congress adequate time to fully assess the consequences of newly introduced legislation on jobs, small businesses, and the quality of health ca... Read more »
As House Democrats prepare to unveil controversial legislation to orchestrate a federal takeover of our nation’s health care system, divisions among their ranks appear to be growing. The Wall Street Journal reports on the Democrat-on-Democrat infighting this morning: “The effort to pass a health-care overhaul is being frustrated by divisions among Democrats over a wide range of issues, from how to... Read more »
If you’re not sure about how the binding arbitration sections of the Employee Free Choice Act could affect America’s struggling economy, take a look at Michigan and Massachusetts. That’s what Forbes columnist Shikha Dalmia did in a Wall Street Journal op-ed over the weekend, and she found that binding arbitration rules in those states devastated their economies. Here’s what she writes about Michig... Read more »
Call it the curse of card check. Like the monster in a bad horror movie, the latest nightmare scenario making its way through Washington is the theory that the Employee Free Choice Act can return to wreak havoc on workers’ rights and the economy – even if it dies in the Senate, where it has been dormant like a sleeping vampire for months. Workforce Management magazine notes that card check advocat... Read more »
The following op-ed by Rep. John Kline, senior Republican for the House Education and Labor Committee, was published on Townhall.com on July 10, 2009. There they go again. Democrats have controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress for less than six months, yet already their tax-and-spend ways are hurting America’s economy – and taking away jobs. Their first act of business was to pass... Read more »
With Democrats now officially able to count 60 votes among their ranks in the Senate, the Employee Free Choice Act should be easy to pass in that chamber because – on paper – they have enough votes to stop a possible Republican filibuster against the anti-worker proposal. But it turns out it’s not that easy. The New York Times today offers a glimpse about why several Democratic senators are sittin... Read more »
Congressman John Kline (R-MN), Senior Republican on the Education and Labor Committee, today named Barrett Karr as Republican Staff Director. Karr brings to the Committee a wealth of knowledge on education, health care, and labor issues gained during a 13-year career that spanned both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. “Americans are facing real challenges, and we can’t afford any delay in our efforts t... Read more »
Almost five months after the Democrats’ much-heralded economic stimulus package was signed into law and a week after it was revealed that the unemployment rate has reached its highest level in more than a quarter-century, the American people are left asking: where are the jobs? “With unemployment already at 9.5 percent and likely to exceed 10 percent, much higher than White House officials predict... Read more »
