Dean Heller says Donald Trump’s budget would be “anti-Nevada” because it cuts Medicaid by billions and funds the Yucca Mountain project.
But Dean Heller voted to cut $1.35 trillion from Medicaid in 2015 and he voted to cut federal funding for Medicaid in half in 2011 despite the fact that Medicaid provides care for over 625,00 Nevadans.
Just as bad, Heller has voted to eliminate and undermine Medicaid expansion dozens of times — despite the fact that it provides essential care to over 200,000 Nevadans.
Heller has even voted for a spending plan that funded the Yucca Mountain project, because he was too weak and lazy to get the funding removed.
“How dumb does Dean Heller think Nevadans are? After voting to gut Medicaid, to end Medicaid expansion, and to fund the Yucca Mountain project, Dean Heller thinks he can pull the wool over voters’ eyes,” said American Bridge spokesperson Joshua Karp. “For years Dean Heller has voted against what’s best for Nevadans — and next November they will hold him accountable.”
Check the facts…
HELLER ON HELLER: “ANTI-NEVADA”
Heller’s Anti-Nevada Record: Voting For Hundreds Of Billions In Medicaid Cuts
HELLER CITED CUTS TO MEDICAID AS ONE OF THE REASONS TRUMP’S BUDGET WAS ANTI-NEVADA…
…BUT HELLER HAS A DEMONSTRATED RECORD OF VOTING FOR HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS IN MEDICAID CUTS…
- Medicaid Provided Coverage To 67 Million People In 2012, Including 32 Million Children, 19 Million Adults, 6 Million Seniors And 11 Million Disabled. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; “In 2012, Medicaid provided health coverage for 67 million low-income Americans over the course of the year, including 32 million children, 19 million adults (mostly low-income working parents), 6 million seniors, and 11 million persons with disabilities, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/8/13]
- Children Account For About Half Of Medicaid Enrollees. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; “Children account for nearly half of all Medicaid enrollees but just one-fifth of Medicaid spending.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 5/8/13]
- Supporters Said That The Amendment Restored $1.2 Trillion Cut By Senate Republicans’ FY 2016 Budget And Would Prevents Cuts In Reimbursement’s For Nursing Home And Long Term Care Facilities. According to the Hill, “Before the vote, Wyden urged his colleagues to support the amendment, saying it would ‘be consistent with our Medicaid vote that was cast earlier this week.’ ‘It’s impossible to square [a] budget that has $1.2 trillion in cuts, with the vote that was held earlier this week to protect Medicaid,’ he said. ‘You can’t get those savings without cutting reimbursements for nursing homes and long term care facilities.’” [The Hill, 3/26/15]
- Toomey’s Budget Plan Converted The Federal Share Of Medicaid Into Block Grants To States, With Spending Frozen Through 2017. “Toomey said his alternative budget plan would balance the budget within eight years. On taxes, it would lower marginal tax rates by 20 percent, index the alternative minimum tax for inflation and lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Toomey’s budget would adopt provisions of the plan put forth by House Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., which the House approved last month, including language to overhaul Medicare and repeal the health can the proposed $771 billion cut over ten years in the Ryan plan.” [CBPP, 5/25/11]
- Toomey Budget Would Cut Federal Funding For Medicaid In Half By 2021. “About $1.1 trillion would come from Senator Toomey’s proposal to turn Medicaid into a block grant and cut federal funding for the program by half by 2021 (separate and apart from the $627 billion cut in health reform-related Medicaid costs). This would shift huge costs to the states and force cuts in the number of poor elderly, disabled, and children served and the services they receive. Senator Toomey’s Medicaid cuts, not counting those related to health reform, are $326 billion larger than the proposed $771 billion cut over ten years in the Ryan plan.” [CBPP, 5/25/11]
2011: Heller Effectively Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Would Have Repealed The Affordable Care Act. In May 2011, Heller effectively voted for repealing the Affordable Care Act, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to the House Budget Committee, the budget would “repeal the government takeover of healthcare.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 40 to 57. [Senate Vote 77, 5/25/11; House Budget Committee, 4/5/11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 34]
- Ryan’s Plan Would Have Reduced Medicaid Spending By $750 Billion Over 10 Years. According to the House Budget Committee, the budget’s Medicaid Proposal would “Save $750 billion over ten years, contributing to the long-term stabilization of the federal government’s fiscal path and encouraging fiscal responsibility at the state level.” [House Budget Committee, 4/5/11]
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Ryan Budget Would Have Cut Nevada Medicaid Funding By $9 Billion Or 44 Percent. [Kaiser Family Foundation, National and State-by-State Impact of the 2012 House Republican Budget Plan for Medicaid, October 2012]
- Ryan’s Plan Would Have Reduced Medicaid Spending By $750 Billion Over 10 Years. According to the House Budget Committee, the budget’s Medicaid Proposal would “Save $750 billion over ten years, contributing to the long-term stabilization of the federal government’s fiscal path and encouraging fiscal responsibility at the state level.” [House Budget Committee, 4/5/11]
- Kaiser Family Foundation: Ryan Budget Would Have Cut Nevada Medicaid Funding By $9 Billion Or 44 Percent. [Kaiser Family Foundation, National and State-by-State Impact of the 2012 House Republican Budget Plan for Medicaid, October 2012]
Heller’s Anti-Nevada Record: Voting To Repeal The ACA’s Medicaid Expansion
HELLER CITED HIS CONCERNS WITH THE IMPACT OF TRUMP BUDGET’S MEDICAID CUTS DUE TO NEVADA’S MEDICAID EXPANSION…
…BUT HELLER VOTED TO REPEAL OR UNDERMINE THE ACA & MEDICAID EXPANSION DOZENS OF TIMES DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT WAS SUPPORTED BY GOVERNOR SANDOVAL & HELPED OVER 200,000 NEVADANS
- Nevada Independent: Governor Sandoval Was The “First Republican Chief Executive To Embrace Medicaid Expansion. According to the Nevada Independent, “Gov. Sandoval, the first Republican chief executive to embrace Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, said he won’t support a plan that doesn’t cover more than 300,000 low-income Nevadans who benefitted.” [Nevada Independent, 3/9/17]
- Since Medicaid Expanded In Nevada, The Number Of Covered Individuals Has Doubled To 638,000. According to the Nevada Independent, “The number of covered individuals in the state has doubled since Medicaid expansion was implemented in 2014, from 323,000 to 638,000. Gov. Brian Sandoval committed to expand Medicaid under the ACA in December 2012, and Medicaid expansion went into effect in Nevada in January 2014.” [Nevada Independent, 2/9/17]
2017: Heller Effectively Voted For A Budget Resolution Designed To Begin The Process Of Repealing The Affordable Care Act. In January 2017, Heller effectively voted for a budget resolution designed to begin reconciliation instructions to repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to Congressional Quarterly, “The Senate on Wednesday voted 51-48 to move ahead in debating a fiscal 2017 budget resolution that would include reconciliation instructions repealing the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152).” The vote was on a motion to proceed. The Senate agreed to the motion by a vote of 51 to 48. The Senate later passed the resolution. [Senate Vote 1, 1/4/17; Congressional Quarterly, 1/4/17; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 3]
2015: Heller Voted For A Bill That Repealed Portions Of The Affordable Care Act, Including Eliminating The Act’s Medicaid Expansion In 2018. In December 2015, Heller voted for a bill that according to Congressional Quarterly, would have “scrap[ed] in 2018 the law’s Medicaid expansion, as well as subsidies to help individuals buy coverage through the insurance exchanges.” Additionally, according to Congressional Quarterly the bill would have “repeal[ed] portions of the 2010 health care law and block[ed] federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. As amended, the bill would zero-out the law’s penalties for noncompliance with the law’s requirements for most individuals to obtain health coverage and employers to offer health insurance.” The vote was on passage of a reconciliation bill. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 52 to 47. The bill was later passed by the full Congress, which the president then vetoed. The House was not able to override the veto. [Senate Vote 329, 12/3/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/3/15; Real Clear Politics, 12/4/15 Congressional Actions, H.R. 3762]
2015: Heller Effectively Voted To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. In July 2015, Heller effectively voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to Congressional Quarterly, the vote was on a “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on [the amendment] […] that would repeal the 2010 health care law.” The underlying bill was a three-year highway funding bill. The vote was on a motion to invoke cloture. The Senate rejected the motion 49 to 43; 60 Senators voting yes would have been required to invoke cloture. [Senate Vote 253, 7/26/15; Congressional Quarterly, 7/26/15; The Hill, 7/26/15; Congressional Actions, S. 2328; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 2327; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 2266; Congressional Actions, H.R. 22]
2015: Heller Voted To Repeal The Affordable Care Act, As Part Of The FY 2016 Conference Report Budget Resolution. In May 2015, Heller voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act as part of the FY 2016 Conference Report budget resolution. According to Congressional Quarterly, “Adoption of the conference report on the concurrent resolution that would reduce spending by $5.3 trillion over the next 10 years, including $2 trillion in reductions from repeal of the 2010 health care overhaul.” The vote was on the Conference Report; the Conference Report, which also passed the House, was passed by a vote of 51 to 48. [Senate Vote 171, 5/5/15; Congressional Quarterly, 5/5/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11]
- Budget Includes Reconciliation Language To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. According to Congressional Quarterly, “The budget contains reconciliation instructions directing the committees with jurisdiction over taxes and health care to draw up legislation to repeal the health care law and deliver their recommendations to the Budget committees by July 24.” [Congressional Quarterly, 5/5/15]
- Budget Permitted Use Of Reconciliation Procedures To Repeal The ACA, Which Would Prevent Senate Democrats From Filibustering The Repeal Bill. According to Politico, “Senate Republicans want to use a powerful budget maneuver known as reconciliation to go after President Barack Obama’s health care law — particularly if the Supreme Court strikes down key provisions of Obamacare this June. Using the fast-tracking procedure offers some advantage for Republicans, largely because a reconciliation package can’t be filibustered. […] The plans were included in a budget blueprint rolled out Wednesday by the Senate Budget Committee — a governing document that calls for balancing the budget within a decade, extracting hundreds of billions in savings from Medicare and turning over more responsibility to the states to run Medicaid, reducing costs even further.” [Politico, 3/18/15]
2013: Heller Voted To Block Implementation And Enforcement Of The Affordable Care Act. In March 2013, Heller voted for an amendment to a bill funding the federal government through the end of fiscal year 2013, that, according to the Congressional Record, would have required that “[n]one of the funds made available in this Act may be used (1) to carry out any provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act […] or title I or subtitle B of title II of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 […], or the amendments made by such Act, title, or subtitle; or (2) for rulemaking under such Act, title, or subtitle.” The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 45 to 52. [Senate Vote 34, 3/13/13; Congressional Record, 3/13/13; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 30; Congressional Actions, S. Amdt. 26; Congressional Actions, H.R. 933]
- Sen. Cruz Offered The Amendment “To Advance Economic Growth And To Delay Funding For Obamacare Until There Is Economic Growth.” According to The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, “Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) offered the first amendment to the continued spending resolution that funds the government through the fiscal year. Cruz said his amendment would prohibit funding for the Affordable Care Act until the economy is growing at the ‘historic’ level of at least 3-4 percent. ‘The purpose of this amendment is to advance economic growth and to delay funding for ObamaCare until there is economic growth,’ Cruz said Wednesday. ‘At a minimum, ObamaCare should not be funded when our economy is gasping for breath.’” [The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, 3/13/13]
- Opponents Of The Amendment Argued That It “Is Equivalent To Repeal” Of Health Care Reform. According to The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, “Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said the amendment ‘is equivalent to repeal,’ when speaking against Cruz’s amendment. ‘This is the 34th time that someone on the Republican side has tried to do away with the Affordable Care Act and it’s failed every time,’ Harkin said. ‘We’ve already made our decisions on that and we’re moving on. ‘It’s almost like there is an obsession with some people on the other side of the aisle with tearing down health reform.’” [The Hill’s Floor Action Blog, 3/13/13]
2011: Heller Voted To Consider Sen. Pat Toomey’s FY 2012 Budget, Which Repealed The Affordable Care Act. In May 2011, Heller voted to consider repealing the Affordable Care Act, as part of Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-PA) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to a press release from Sen. Toomey, the budget contained a provision that “Repeals Obamacare.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the resolution; the motion failed by a vote of 42 to 55. [Senate Vote 79, 5/25/11; Office of Senator Pat Toomey, 5/10/11; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 21]
2011: Heller Effectively Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Would Have Repealed The Affordable Care Act. In May 2011, Heller effectively voted for repealing the Affordable Care Act, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to the House Budget Committee, the budget would “repeal the government takeover of healthcare.” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the House-passed budget resolution, which the Senate rejected by a vote of 40 to 57. [Senate Vote 77, 5/25/11; House Budget Committee, 4/5/11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 34]
2011: Heller Voted For FY 2012 Ryan Budget, Which Would Have Repealed The Affordable Care Act. In April 2011, Heller voted for repealing the Affordable Care Act, as part of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2012 to 2021. According to the House Budget Committee, the budget would “repeal the government takeover of healthcare.” The vote was on passage; the resolution passed by a vote of 235 to 193. [House Vote 277, 4/15/11; House Budget Committee, 4/5/11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 34]
2011: Heller Voted To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. In April 2011, Heller voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act as part of the Democrats’ proposed budget resolution covering FY 2012 to 2021. According the text of the budget resolution, “It is the policy of the House that the law of the land should support making affordable health care coverage available to every American family, and therefore the Affordable Care Act should not be repealed.” The vote was on an amendment to the House budget resolution replacing the entire budget with the House Democrats’ proposed budget; the amendment failed by a vote of 166 to 259. [House Vote 276, 4/15/11; Congressional Record, 4/15/11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 259; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 34]
2011: Heller Voted To Prohibit Funds From An Appropriations Bill From Being Used For The Affordable Care Act. In April 2011, Heller voted for a resolution that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would [have] direct[ed] the House clerk to make a correction in the enrollment of a bill (HR 1473) to provide $1.055 trillion in discretionary funding for fiscal 2011, and insert a section that would [have] bar[red] the use of funds made available in the bill to carry out the provisions of the 2010 health care overhaul law.” The House agreed to the resolution by a vote of 240 to 185. The Senate disagreed with the resolution and no further action was taken. [House Vote 270, 4/14/11; Congressional Quarterly, 4/14/11; Congressional Actions, H. Con. Res. 35]
2011: Heller Voted To Block The Implementation Of The Affordable Care Act. In February 2011, Heller voted for a bill that would have, blocked implementation of the Affordable Care Act. According to the Tulsa World, the bill contained an amendment to H.R. 1 that was “sponsored by Rep. Dennis Rehberg, R-Mont., to the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act. The amendment would bar spending on efforts to implement the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or title I or subtitle B of title II of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. The House passed the bill by a vote of 235 to 189. The Senate extensively amended the legislation and passed the bill, but it was not taken up again by the House. The final version of the fiscal year 2011 funding bill stripped the rider that defunded the Affordable Care Act. According to Roll Call, “Democratic aides argued the Senate Democrats’ unity is a sign of just how successful the Nevada Democrat was in negotiating for his Conference’s priorities and said it will help him with the debt limit. The final deal stripped the most significant riders, such as defunding the health care law, and protected Democratic spending priorities, including health care research and Head Start.” [House Vote 147, 2/19/11; Tulsa World, 2/27/11; Roll Call, 4/18/11; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
2011: Heller Voted To Defund The Affordable Care Act. In February 2011, Heller voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “prohibit[ed] the use of funds made available by the bill to pay the salary of any officer or employee of any federal department or agency with respect to carrying out the provisions of the 2010 health care overhaul and reconciliation laws, or any amendment made by those law.” The underlying bill pertained to continuing appropriations for FY 2011. The vote was on adopting the amendment; the House adopted the amendment by a vote of 237 to 191. The House passed the underlying bill and the Senate amended the bill, but it was not taken up by the House again. [House Vote 99, 2/18/11; Congressional Quarterly, 2/18/11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 105; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
2011: Heller Voted To Bar The Use Of Funds To Implement The Affordable Care Act. In February 2011, Heller voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “bar[red] the use of funds made available by the bill to carry out the provisions of the 2010 health care overhaul and reconciliation laws, or any amendment made by those laws.” The underlying bill pertained to continuing appropriations for FY 2011. The vote was on adopting the amendment; the House passed the amendment by a vote of 241 to 187. The House passed the underlying bill and the Senate amended the bill, but it was not taken up by the House again. [House Vote 98, 2/18/11; Congressional Quarterly, 2/18/11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 104; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
2011: Heller Effectively Voted To Defund The Affordable Care Act. In February 2011, Heller voted for an amendment that would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, “prohibit[ed] the payment of any funds made available by the bill to any employee, officer, contractor or grantee of any department or agency funded by the Labor-HHS-Education portion of the measure to implement the 2010 health care overhaul law.” The underlying bill pertained to continuing appropriations for FY 2011. The vote was on adopting the amendment; the House passed the amendment by a vote of 239 to 187. The House passed the underlying bill and the Senate amended the bill, but it was not taken up by the House again. [House Vote 97, 2/18/11; Congressional Quarterly, 2/18/11; Congressional Actions, H. Amdt. 102; Congressional Actions, H.R. 1]
2011: Heller Voted To Repeal The Affordable Care Act. In January 2011, Heller voted for a bill that, according to Congressional Quarterly, “would [have] repeal[ed] the 2010 health care overhaul law, which requires most individuals to buy health insurance by 2014, makes changes to government health care programs and sets new requirements for health insurers. The bill would restore the provisions of law amended or repealed by the health care overhaul, and repeal certain provisions of the health care reconciliation law.” The House passed the bill by a vote of 245 to 189; however, the Senate did not take any action on it. [House Vote 14, 1/19/11; Congressional Quarterly, 1/19/11; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2]
Heller’s Anti-Nevada Record: Voting To Fund A Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Site
HELLER CITED FUNDING FOR YUCCA MOUNTAIN NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AS ONE OF THE REASONS TRUMP’S BUDGET WAS ANTI-NEVADA…
…BUT HELLER PREVIOUSLY WENT ALONG WITH HIS PARTY TO VOTE FOR A GOP SPENDING BILL THAT FUNDED A NUCLEAR WASTE SITE AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN AFTER HE FAILED TO REMOVE THE PROVISION
Heller Tried, And Failed, To Remove The Yucca Language From The Bill…
According to Las Vegas Sun, “Nevada Republican Rep. Dean Heller, who supported H.R. 1, tried to remove the Yucca rider from the bill by amendment before it passed. His attempt failed.” [Las Vegas Sun, 8/16/11]
After Failures Of Republican Spending Bill H.R. 1, Reid Said “Yucca Mountain Is Dead.” According to Las Vegas Sun, “‘Yucca Mountain is dead,’ said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was the chief negotiator for Democrats. ‘And I think it’s time for opponents to move on.’ Yucca Mountain, which hasn’t received funding under any federal budget that’s been passed since Obama came to office, came back on the agenda this past winter, when Republican House leaders included funding and a directive about the projected nuclear waste storage site in their budget bill, H.R. 1. That bill, which passed the House but failed in the Senate, would have made it illegal to use federal funds to derail ongoing activities at Yucca, including the siting process, now mired in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approvals process. Effectively, it would have kept the site open. ‘H.R. 1’s history, man,’ Reid said Mondaywhen asked if he was at all concerned that it might still be funded.” [Las Vegas Sun, 8/16/11]
- Headline: “Despite House GOP Push, Harry Reid Declares ‘Yucca Is Dead’” [Las Vegas Sun, 4/12/11]
…And Then Voted For It Anyway Despite Its Funding For Yucca…
- Las Vegas Sun: H.R. 1 Funded A Nuclear Waste Site At Yucca Mountain And “Would Have Made It Illegal To Use Federal Funds To Derail Ongoing Activities” There, Effectively Keeping The Site Open. According to Las Vegas Sun, “Yucca Mountain, which hasn’t received funding under any federal budget that’s been passed since Obama came to office, came back on the agenda this past winter, when Republican House leaders included funding and a directive about the projected nuclear waste storage site in their budget bill, H.R. 1. That bill, which passed the House but failed in the Senate, would have made it illegal to use federal funds to derail ongoing activities at Yucca, including the siting process, now mired in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s approvals process. Effectively, it would have kept the site open.” [Las Vegas Sun, 4/12/11
- H.R. 1 Stripped Funding From Renewable Energy Load Guarantee Programs That Have Backed Some Of Nevada’s Largest Projects; Preserved Funding For Yucca Mountain. In April 2011, the Las Vegas Sun reported that H.R.1, which Heller supported, “sought to strip federal funding from the renewable energy loan guarantee programs that have gone to back some of Nevada’s largest-scale projects, such as the SolarReserve plant at Tonopah, while preserving it for Yucca.” [Las Vegas Sun, 4/27/11]
Published: May 25, 2017