The presumptive House speaker, John A. Boehner of Ohio, wants to establish a partnership with Republican governors and state lawmakers to work toward stopping the expansion of federal power in Washington.
In a letter to the leader of the Republican Governor’s Association, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Mr. Boehner said that the new Republican majority in the House, and gains among Republicans in the Senate, provide a rare chance to curb the federal government.
“The American people have spoken, and it is clear they want a smaller, more accountable government in Washington, and policies that honor the Constitution and the rights of states, communities, families and individual citizens,” Mr. Boehner wrote. “We have an opportunity for unprecedented collaboration on behalf of the American people in the effort to stop the expansion of federal power in Washington in hopes of returning power and freedom to states and individuals.”
But just like the Republican calls for lowering taxes and reducing the federal deficit, there are inherent contradictions in the party’s call for lower government spending and an expansion of states’ rights.
The 50 states, of course, maintain expensive and redundant or duplicative government operations and services. For instance, 50 separate motor vehicle departments, insurance departments, education departments, health departments and other agencies.
In many cases, the variations in laws and regulations from one state to another substantially raise the cost of doing business for companies that now generally operate on a national basis.
This became a topic of conversation through the year-long health care debate, for instance, as Republicans pushed for legal provisions that would make it easier for Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines.
Republicans said that fostering interstate competition would reduce costs for consumers, allowing them to purchase insurance policies in the states where prices are cheapest. But Democrats pushed back, noting that prices are often cheapest in the states were insurance companies face the least requirements in terms of basic medical coverage. Private insurers, the Democrats warned, would issue their policies in the states with the least regulation, providing cheaper but also flimsier coverage that would prove inadequate and ultimately cost consumers more in out-of-pocket medical expenses should they ever get sick.
Ultimately, the Democrats included provisions in the law allowing states to form regional compacts by which insurance can be sold across state but the law also sets national requirements for minimum insurance coverage, for policies to be eligible for federal subsidies and to be sold on the new state-sponsored insurance exchanges.
In his letter, Mr. Boehner cited the House Republicans’ “Pledge to America” in which they promise to honor the Constitution.
“In the Pledge, we state: ‘We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people,’” Mr. Boehner wrote.
Neither Republicans nor Democrats have made a concerted effort to work with governors and state legislatures to cut government costs for both the federal and state governments at the same time. Instead, the interests of the federal and state governments are typically seen as in constant tension, with the states demanding more federal aid and less federal regulation or taxation.
Here’s the full text of Mr. Boehner’s letter:
Dear Governor Barbour:
As Congressional Republicans begin the transition process for a new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and look ahead to the new Congress, I write in hopes of expanding the partnership we’ve forged with our nation’s Republicans Governors and using that partnership to advance the will of the American people.
In the mid-1990s, working together, reform-minded GOP Governors and legislators in Congress forced Washington to enact and implement historic welfare reform legislation now regarded by many as the most successful domestic policy change in a generation. This joint initiative was successful because Republican governors and members of Congress worked together to force Washington to heed the will of the American people. It is my belief that with the Pledge to America, the new governing agenda built by listening to the people and rejected by the current Democratic majority in Congress, a blueprint has been established for similar joint action on many of the nation’s priorities in the new 112th Congress.
In the Pledge, we state: “We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.” The American people have spoken, and it is clear they want a smaller, more accountable government in Washington, and policies that honor the Constitution and the rights of states, communities, families and individual citizens. They want an end to the expansion of federal power in Washington, which is happening at the expense of their freedom and their opportunities for prosperity.
With a new majority in the House, a strengthened Republican Conference in the Senate, and an expanded team of GOP governors committed to reform, we have an opportunity for unprecedented collaboration on behalf of the American people in the effort to stop the expansion of federal power in Washington in hopes of returning power and freedom to states and individuals. I believe a shared commitment exists among many reform-minded Governors and legislators to helping our economy get back to creating jobs, stopping out-of-control spending and reducing the size of government, repealing and replacing President Obama’s job-crushing health care law, reforming Congress to make it more accountable to the people, and keeping our nation secure. We hope to work with Governors in all of these areas, and I ask for your help in identifying specific Governors who may be particularly helpful in our efforts.
In many cases, the federal government has grown into the affairs that are best managed by Governors in their states. We would welcome examples from Governors of areas where the expansion of the federal government inhibits their ability to govern and we would want to work closely with Governors to find solutions to these situations.
We have all seen what happens when Washington attempts to legislate in a vacuum and refuses to listen to the American people. Together, I believe we can stop the job-crushing policies coming out of Washington and begin to provide the leadership that our country craves and deserves.
Sincerely,
John A. Boehner
Republican Leader