The Budget for Fiscal Year 2017 and Starting the Obamacare Repeal Process (S. Con. Res. 3)

What is S. Con. Res. 3?

(Updated December 4, 2021)

This resolution would outline a budget for fiscal year 2017 and start the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) by giving congressional committees instructions to produce a repeal bill by January 27, 2017 through the reconciliation process. It also outlines budget levels for future fiscal years through 2026, and reserves funds to be used on an Obamacare replacement.

Spending for fiscal year 2017 would be set at $3.264 trillion, while revenue to the government through taxes would be $2.682 trillion, resulting in a deficit of more than $582 billion. In 2026, it projects $4.673 trillion in spending, $3.903 trillion in tax revenue, and a deficit of $1.008 trillion.

This resolution gives four congressional committees reconciliation instructions so that Obamacare repeal legislation could be passed with a simple majority in the Senate rather than the usual 60 vote threshold. The four committees — Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce in the House, and the Senate’s Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — would need to achieve at least $1 billion in deficit reduction over the budget period and provide Obamacare repeal legislation to the Budget Committee by January 27, 2017. That $4 billion in deficit reduction would go to a reserve fund for the repeal legislation..

As a concurrent resolution, this legislation can’t become law so it wouldn’t go to the president’s desk for a signature. Concurrent resolutions are basically just Congress expressing their opinion on a policy matter, in this case on the budget and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. It also doesn’t authorize any actual spending, instead it simply lays out budget levels that appropriators will have to work within.

Argument in favor

Obamacare needs to be repealed, and this budget resolution will allow the reconciliation process to begin by giving committees a deadline of January 27 to produce a repeal bill.

Argument opposed

Obamacare needs to remain in effect, it has done too much for too many Americans and this budget resolution opens the door to its repeal on a purely partisan, simple majority vote.

Impact

The federal government; relevant congressional committees; and the Affordable Care Act.

Cost of S. Con. Res. 3

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: According to a press release from the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee Mike Enzi (R-WY), Congress doesn’t intend to include broad, long-term policy reforms in this budget. Once it’s passed they will “begin work on a fiscal year 2018 budget resolution, which will include broader policy reforms and a comprehensive plan to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability.”

Of Note: The Senate held what’s known as a “vote-a-rama” which began in the evening of January 11 and lasted into the early morning hours of the following day. Despite casting dozens of votes on would-be amendments to the bill, none were adopted.

Media:

• Senate Budget Committee Press Release
  
• Roll Call