A letter signed by 44 Tea Party members of the House of Representatives clearly shows that there was a deliberate, pre-planned strategy to shutdown the government, specifically for the purpose of repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
If there’s any doubt about which party has caused the government shutdown, that letter documents exactly who is behind the manuever. It also points toward seditious conspiracy, an act of treason under the U.S. Code.
The Letter
Back in August, at the urging of freshman representative Mark Meadows, a letter was presented to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Whip Eric Cantor. The letter is a matter of public record as it is classified as a Public Statement by the members of the House.
The full letter can be viewed here. It is dated August 21, 2013 and addressed to Boehner and Cantor. Here are pertinent excerpts:
Therefore, we should continue our efforts to repeal Obamacare in its entirety this year, next year, and until we are successful. However, in the meantime, there is more we can do in Congress.
Since much of the implementation of Obamacare is a function of the discretionary appropriations process, including the operation of the “mandatory spending” portions of the law, and since most of the citizens we represent believe that Obamacare should never go into effect, we urge you to affirmatively de-fund the implementation and execution of Obamacare in any relevant appropriations bill brought to the House floor in the 113th Congress, including any continuing apppropriations bill. [Highlights are mine.]
The Signees
Forty-four members of the House signed the letter. This number represents a small minority of that chamber, approximately ten percent. All but two – Rush Holt of New Jersey and Xavier Becarra of California, are designated Republicans. All but three of these Representatives will be up for re-election in 2014. Their collective signature is yet another action to fly their Tea Party flags, in hopes of continued funding and endorsement as the campaign for re-election gets underway.
- Randy Hultgren, (IL) – District 14, Republican
- Rodney Davis, (IL) – District 13, Republican
- Aaron Schock, (IL) – District 18, Republican
UP FOR RE-ELECTION IN 2014
- Kerry Bentivolio, (MI) – District 11, Republican
- Mark Meadows, (NC) – District 11, Republican
- Randy Neugebauer, (TX) – District 19, Republican
- Tim Huelskamp, (KS) – District 1, Republican
- Thomas Massie, (KY) – District 4, Republican
- Doug LaMalfa, (CA) – District 1, Republican
- Xavier Becerra, (CA) – District 34, Democrat
- Mike Pompeo, (KS) – District 4, Republican
- Bill Flores, (TX) – District 17, Republican
- Bill Huizenga, (MI) – District 2, Republican
- Steve King, (IA) – District 4, Republican
- Steve Chabot, OH) – District 1, Republican
- Raúl Labrador, ID) – District 1, Republican
- Steve Daines, (MT) – At-Large, Republican
- Bill Posey, (FL) – District 8, Republican
- Cynthia Lummis, (WY) – At-Large, Republican
- Howard Coble, (NC) – District 6, Republican
- Bill Cassidy, (LA) – District 6, Republican
- Tom Marino, PA) – District 10, Republican
- Gus Bilirakis, (FL) – District 12, Republican
- Diane Black, TN) – District 6, Republican
- John Fleming, Jr., (LA) – District 4, Republican
- Jack Kingston, (GA) – District 1, Republican
- Paul Gosar, (AZ) – District 4, Republican
- John Duncan, Jr., (TN) – District 2, Republican
- Joe Wilson, Sr., (SC) – District 2, Republican
- Doug Lamborn, (CO) – District 5, Republican
- Sam Graves, (MO) – District 6, Republican
- Rush Holt, Jr., (NJ) – District 12, Democratic
- Randy Weber, (TX) – District 14, Republican
- Walter Jones, Jr., (NC) – District 3, Republican
- Michele Bachmann, (MN) – District 6, Republican
- Ralph Hall, (TX) – District 4, Republican
- Luke Messer, (IN) – District 6, Republican
- Phil Roe, (TN) – District 1, Republican
- Steve Scalise, (LA) – District 1, Republican
- Doug Collins, (GA) – District 9, Republican
- Tim Walberg, (MI) – District 7, Republican
- Paul Broun, (GA) – District 10, Republican
- Jackie Walorski, (IN) – District 2, Republican
- Steven Palazzo, (MS) – District 4, Republican