Push urged on health care law
Repeal vow must be kept: Sensenbrenner
GREENFIELD - With health care reform stalled in Congress, U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner on Saturday called on his colleagues to find common ground, rather than wait.
At a town hall meeting in Greenfield, one of six he’s hosting this weekend, Sensenbrenner said Republicans need to keep their campaign promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, while Democrats should offer more solutions and less resistance to reform. A Republican health care plan introduced by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was scuttled last month by Democrats and the GOP’s Freedom Caucus, which represents the far right wing of the party.
“I think that, as a Republican, we are obligated to get something on the books before Obamacare fails,” Sensenbrenner said.
For 80 minutes, Sensenbrenner took questions from a crowd of about 100 people, nearly all of whom remained respectful. In recent weeks, as Republicans tried to rally support for health care reform, some congressional town halls turned unruly at times.
On foreign policy matters, Sensenbrenner backed President Donald Trump’s call for more equitable investment in NATO and defended House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes (RCalif.) for his handling of the investigation into Russian election interference.
When questioned about Trump publicly calling out NATO allies and potentially fraying diplomatic relationships, Sensenbrenner said he applauds the president’s practice. Only five of the 27 NATO allies are meeting the NATO guideline of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense spending, according to the organization. That money, Sensenbrenner said, has become more important as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to expand his country’s territory.
“Trump has a negotiating technique that’s different from anybody else,” Sensenbrenner said. “And frankly, I think that’s one of the reasons he got elected.”
On domestic policy, Sensenbrenner supported withholding federal funding from “sanctuary cities,” deemed Trump’s preliminary budget proposal “dead on arrival” and urged Congress to carry out significant tax reforms.
Cynthia Winke, 68, of West Allis asked Sensenbrenner how local elected officials could support “sanctuary city” policies, which flout federal laws regarding immigration.
“I just think it’s so unfair,” Winke said. “If I decide not to pay my taxes this year, something is going to happen to me.”
Don Carlson, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, pleaded for Sensenbrenner to sufficiently support military personnel and operations, but also keep a close eye on unnecessary expenditures on bases and equipment manufacturing.
“We need to make sure our men and women are taken care of, and that we have the most up-to-date weapons and equipment,” said Carlson, 64, of Greenfield. “But on the other side, I think the military is notorious for not having good accounting for how they’re spending their money.”
Trump has proposed a 10%, or $52.1 billion, increase in defense spending.