Planned Parenthood Abortion Businesses Get $655K More in Obamacare Funds

Three more local affiliates of the Planned Parenthood abortion business are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer funding from the federal government to promote Obamacare.

The new grants the HHS department announced today follow one from the Washington, D.C. Obamacare exchange earlier this week.

As Philip Klein of the Washington Examiner reports:

President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday that it had made grants totaling about $655,000 to three different branches of abortion provider Planned Parenthood so that the groups could help Americans sign up for health coverage through Obamacare.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said her department had doled out $67 million in grants to 105 different organizations seeking to be “navigators” who will help individuals apply for coverage to be offered starting Oct. 1 through new health insurance exchanges.

Among the grants listed were $295,604 for Planned Parenthood of Montana; $214,427 for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland; and $145,161 for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, known more commonly as Obamacare, pro-life groups warned that abortion funding would be a component of the health care reform law.

Now, the beginning of that funding is coming to pass as the Obamacare exchange in Washington, D.C. announced this week it is sending $375,000 in taxpayer funds to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

Obamacare exchanges will operate in all 50 states and a majority of states do not have laws passed that would stop abortion funding or sending taxpayer funds via Obamacare to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

Enrollment in the exchanges is to begin on October 1, 2013, and the exchanges are to offer health insurance coverage to an estimated 7 million individuals starting on January 1, 2014 (increasing to about 24 million by 2022). Thirty-four states have elected to not set up their own exchanges; therefore, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will operate the exchanges in those states.

Under the ACA, health plans that provide abortion coverage are permitted to participate in the state exchanges. While states are allowed to enact laws “opting out” of permitting insurance plans that cover abortions to participate in their exchanges, many states are unable or unwilling to do so. To date, only 20 states have enacted an opt-out law, citizens.

Americans in states without opt-out laws who are enrolled through an exchange in insurance plans that cover abortion—even if their enrollment is inadvertent or as a consequence of their employment— will be required to pay an “abortion premium” that will be used exclusively to pay for abortions.

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan D.C. is the abortion business where staffers admitted they handled medications improperly and it also botched an abortion and left part of the baby inside the mother.

From an abortion facility inspection report last year:

“Employee #6 stated, ‘I mix the medications, apply a label and take the vials to the procedure room for the physician to draw up and inject into the patient prior to the procedure. They are used for numbing the cervix.’ Employee #6 was asked who verified the medications she was mixing and she stated, ‘No one.’ While observing the medications being mixed Employee #6 was observed cleaning the tops of the vials prior to the first puncture of each vial. She did not clean the tops prior to the second puncture of the vials. Employee #6 stated, ‘The current research says it doesn’t make any difference. You could lick the tops of the vials and the infection rate would be the same.’”

Obamacare Funds Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz, D.C. Exchange Sends $375K

When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, known more commonly as Obamacare, pro-life groups warned that abortion funding would be a component of the health care reform law.

Now, the beginning of that funding is coming to pass as the Obamacare exchange in Washington, D.C. announced today it is sending $375,000 in taxpayer funds to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

“The DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority Executive Board today approved grants to 35 DC-based organizations to provide in-person expert assistance to individuals, families, and small businesses looking to enroll in health insurance coverage through DC Health Link, the District’s new online health insurance marketplace,” the exchange announced today.

“We are excited to create these partnerships with trusted organizations that have deep roots in the communities that make up the District of Columbia,” said Executive Board Chair Diane C. Lewis, M.P.A. “The new health law offers essential benefits that will improve the health and security of the residents of our city. It is critically important that we have trained experts available to help ensure those benefits reach the people who need them.”

The grants awarded today total $6.4 million and the announcement noted that Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan D.C. will receive $375,000.

Obamacare exchanges will operate in all 50 states and a majority of states do not have laws passed that would stop abortion funding or sending taxpayer funds via Obamacare to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

Enrollment in the exchanges is to begin on October 1, 2013, and the exchanges are to offer health insurance coverage to an estimated 7 million individuals starting on January 1, 2014 (increasing to about 24 million by 2022). Thirty-four states have elected to not set up their own exchanges; therefore, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will operate the exchanges in those states.

Under the ACA, health plans that provide abortion coverage are permitted to participate in the state exchanges. While states are allowed to enact laws “opting out” of permitting insurance plans that cover abortions to participate in their exchanges, many states are unable or unwilling to do so. To date, only 20 states have enacted an opt-out law, citizens.

Americans in states without opt-out laws who are enrolled through an exchange in insurance plans that cover abortion—even if their enrollment is inadvertent or as a consequence of their employment— will be required to pay an “abortion premium” that will be used exclusively to pay for abortions.

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan D.C. is the abortion business where staffers admitted they handled medications improperly.

From an abortion facility inspection report last year:

“Employee #6 stated, ‘I mix the medications, apply a label and take the vials to the procedure room for the physician to draw up and inject into the patient prior to the procedure. They are used for numbing the cervix.’ Employee #6 was asked who verified the medications she was mixing and she stated, ‘No one.’ While observing the medications being mixed Employee #6 was observed cleaning the tops of the vials prior to the first puncture of each vial. She did not clean the tops prior to the second puncture of the vials. Employee #6 stated, ‘The current research says it doesn’t make any difference. You could lick the tops of the vials and the infection rate would be the same.’”

Gay Marriage Licenses May Cause 'Serious, Limitless Harm,' Says Pa. Governor

A Pennsylvania county’s choice to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in spite of the state ban on gay marriage “risks causing serious and limitless harm,” Governor Tom Corbett’s office said in legal filings on Monday.

Attorneys for the state’s Health Department and Gov. Corbett filed a legal claim Monday against D. Bruce Hanes, the register of wills for Montgomery County, who has been illegally distributing marriage licenses to same-sex couples for the past several weeks. Since he began, Hanes has issued 116 same-sex marriage licenses in spite of the state’s 1996 statute defining marriage as being between one man and one woman.

In Monday’s legal filing, Gov. Corbett’s office argued that Hanes is blatantly violating state law, and as a public official he cannot breech a law simply because he personally believes it to be unconstitutional. Rather, the legal brief asserts that it is the responsibility of the courts to determine a law unconstitutional.

“Ours is a government of laws, not one of public officials exercising their will as they believe the law should be or will be,” the legal brief stated, warning that Hanes and other county officials may be guilty of one misdemeanor for each act of breaking the law.

The governor’s legal team also argued in a statement last week that the county’s breach of state law could cause limitless “administrative and legal chaos,” including same-sex couples illegally filing for state benefits. The goal of Corbett’s lawsuit is to have Montgomery County cease issuing same-sex marriage licenses.

Hanes began issuing the licenses shortly after the state’s attorney general Kathleen Kane stated that she would not be defending the 1996 ban on same-sex marriage in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is seeking to have the state legalize same-sex marriage. Kane, a democrat, said in a press conference that because she felt the 1996 ban to be unconstitutional, she could not ethically defend the law.

Gov. Corbett’s office responded to Kane’s announcement in a similar way it has responded to Hanes’ actions, saying that her choice to not defend state law creates “confusion” in the courts, adding that her failure to defend the state was an “improper usurpation of the role of the courts, which at a minimum, causes confusion among those charged with administering the law.” Corbett’s office has now taken on the responsibility of defending the ban in court; the governor has previously voiced his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Hanes, who controls the distribution of marriage licenses in Montgomery County, has vowed to continue distributing licenses to same-sex couples until he is ordered by the court to stop. He has previously cited the Attorney General’s decision to not defend the gay marriage ban in court as a justification for his actions.

Hanes wrote in an Op-Ed for the Main Line Times that after consulting with his solicitor, Michael Clarke, relying on his own analysis of the law, and following the lead of Kane, he decided to “come down on the right side of history and the law” and issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Lawyers for Montgomery County told the Associated Press Monday that they had just received the governor’s legal brief and were going to review it before responding to the media. The county has until Aug. 19 to file a response.

PA Pastors Network: Being Quiet about the Truth Won’t Work – Morality, Religious Freedom Too Precious

PHILADELPHIA – Corruption and scandals have become almost commonplace in Washington’s corridors. Most Americans, however, seem little affected by the news reports streaming out of our nation’s capitol.

Sam Rohrer, President of Pennsylvania Pastor’s Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), is calling on pastors to boldly preach the truth of God’s Word, even in a culture that has become decidedly, and even proudly, post-modern.

Rohrer reminds people, “Jeremiah the prophet said, ‘When I rebuked the people because of their sins, they ridiculed God and made fun of me. So, I said, I won’t talk of God any longer – but I couldn’t stand being quiet because God’s word became a burning fire shut up in my bones. So, I spoke more boldly of the Lord because He was with me.’”

As our nation’s courts strike down more and more laws in a fully embraced confirmation of our culture’s endorsement of a post-modern view of morality such as legalized homosexual marriage, euthanasia, and abortion, Rohrer and others see this as a continuing and direct assault on the Truth of God’s Word, as well as a direct threat to religious freedom for all.

Rohrer is urging pastors to be clear and unapologetic on the entire range of Biblical Truth as it speaks to all areas of culture and public policy. This certainly includes the currently controversial issues such as marriage and the sanctity of all human life, but also includes the issues of taxation, spending, healthcare, the role of government, and increasingly the tyrannical behavior of many in public office and how Christians should think and act about these issues in light of Scripture, liberty and our Constitutional form of government.

Rohrer urges pastors, “Speak boldly for God and His Truth. In the days of Jeremiah, the culture had forgotten the Lord. The people had walked away from His Word and become idolatrous and greedy. What we see happening all around us today is nothing new – not even the ‘new morality’ people are embracing. This is not about being progressive or more intelligent. In fact, it is just a backward spiraling into the chaos and lawlessness that history has seen repeated many times over. Every time people deny the truth of God, corruption and lawlessness follows.”

A survey conducted earlier this year in Pennsylvania revealed that a growing number of pastors – up to 20% of even self-proclaimed evangelical pastors – don’t view God’s Word to be the final moral authority and the definitive source of truth, and therefore won’t preach it as such.

Rohrer states, “Too many self-proclaimed Christians seem to feel the need to apologize for what God’s Word says is true. Christians needn’t apologize for God. In fact, they dare not. If God’s people, who call themselves by His name, won’t uphold His Truth clearly, simply, and boldly, then they become participants in the hiding of God’s truth and actually encourage the judgment of God on our nation and the loss of our Constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms. ”

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues; examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network website continues to offer a wealth of resources to pastors to help them equip their congregations to live a Christian life, from sermon notes to corporate prayers for our nation, to resources for laypeople, covering everything from preparation to finances.
The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a state chapter affiliate of the American Pastors’ Network. The American Pastors’ Network is a Ministry Program Affiliate of Capstone Legacy Foundation (a 501 C3 non-profit organization). To contact them visit. www.papastors.net or call 610-584.1225.

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To schedule interviews with Sam Rohrer, President of the PA Pastors’ Network, contact Deborah Hamilton at dhamilton@hamiltonstrategies.com, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096.

Health exchange under attack in opposition ad campaign

ST PAUL, Minn. — The state’s new health insurance market place, known as MNsure, is the target of a political campaign aimed at steering consumers away from it.

A billboard asking people to refuse MNsure has gone up on Snelling Avenue near the State Fairgrounds, and it will remain there throughout the event that draws millions to the neighborhood.

The outdoor ad was produced by the Citizens Council for Health Freedom, an organization that has opposed the Affordable Care Act from its inception.

“We look at the exchange as the Achilles heel of ObamaCare,” Twila Brace, the council’s executive director, told KARE Monday.

“And we know if the Exchange does not move forward, neither will ObamaCare, so that is why our focus is on stopping the exchange through lack of enrollment.”

Mnsure will be the portal used by roughly 300,000 uninsured or under insured Minnesotans and small businesses to comparison shop for health coverage, and utilize subsidies and credits provided through the ACA.

“You’ll see what the full premium is and then you’ll see what the discount is that’s associated with the tax credit that you’re eligible for at the time you’re purchasing your plans,” April Todd-Malmlov, the executive director of MNsure, told KARE.

“You’ll be able to see that before you buy.”

Enrollment begins formally on Oct. 1, but the public will gets its first look at the plans being offered through MNsure on Sept. 6. Coverage in those plans will begin Jan. 1.

People already receiving subsidized health insurance, such as Medical Assistance and Minnesota Care, will be able to apply for those programs through MNsure.

Most people will enroll online, but there will be in-person enrollment available as well. The exchange will also feature assistants and “navigators” to help walk people through the process.

“We’re really trying to make it as easy as possible for individuals to get health care coverage and trying to reach them and to encourage them to get the coverage that they need,” Todd-Malmlov explained.

Those who now can buy health coverage through a large employer group plan, and those on Medicare, won’t buy their coverage through the exchange.

They will receive proof-of-insurance forms that will be submitted to the IRS as part of their 2014 tax returns to show they’re complying with the new individual mandate that begins Jan. 1.

The opposition billboard depicts a young woman with her arms crossed and asks passing motorists the question, “Why can’t I choose my OWN doctor?”

It creates the impression that people who enroll in a health plan offered through MNsure won’t have say over who their medical provider will be. A similar message was posed in anti-reform TV ads run by the conservative group Americans for Prosperity.

Brace said the message of the billboard is based on the assumptions that the health insurance plans sold through MNsure will have very limited provider networks. In most health plans customers who receive care out of network are charged a higher deductible or copayment.

“Essential exchanges have policies with narrow networks so that you may not get the doctor you want,” Brace asserted.

“You may not be able to get the hospital that you want.”

But those plans and provider networks won’t be known until after Sept 6, so nobody can say at this time if those buying coverage through MNsure will have to change physicians.

MNsure’s Todd-Malmlov called the billboard campaign flat out misleading.

“It’s unfortunate if misinformation like that is dissuading or discouraging families and small businesses from getting the coverage they need,” she said.

“Really, that type of information is inaccurate.”

She also noted that many of those gaining coverage through the exchange will be picking doctors for the first time because they haven’t had insurance of any kind.

MNsure is beginning to ramp up its public profile and out-of-home advertising to make people aware of the changes coming to the state as well as the opportunities available to purchase coverage.

MNsure will also have a presence at the State Fair, with exhibit space.

Todd-Malmlov has hosted a series of Twitter and online question and answer sessions under the hash tag of #AskApril.

(Copyright 2013 by KARE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or reiterated.)

 

Judge Rules Baby Can't Be Named 'Messiah'

A judge in Tennessee changed a 7-month-old boy’s name to Martin from Messiah, saying the religious name was earned by one person and “that one person is Jesus Christ.”

Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered the name change last week, according to WBIR-TV (http://on.wbir.com/1cDOeTY). The boy’s parents were in court because they could not agree on the child’s last name, but when the judge heard the boy’s first name, she ordered it changed, too.

“It could put him at odds with a lot of people and at this point he has had no choice in what his name is,” Ballew said.

It was the first time she ordered a first name change, the judge said.

Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration’s annual list of popular baby names.

The judge in eastern Tennessee said the baby was to be named Martin DeShawn McCullough, which includes both parents’ last name.

The boy’s mother, Jaleesa Martin, of Newport, said she will appeal. She says Messiah is unique and she liked how it sounded alongside the boy’s two siblings — Micah and Mason.

“Everybody believes what they want so I think I should be able to name my child what I want to name him, not someone else,” Martin said.

Ballew said the name Messiah could cause problems if the child grows up in Cocke County, which has a large Christian population.

“The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ,” the judge said.

Hobby Lobby prez: Standing firm against ObamaCare mandate

The president of Hobby Lobby says he has received a lot of support when it comes to his family’s legal battle with the federal government. At issue is the government’s requirement in the new healthcare law for employers to cover contraceptives for employees.

Speaking Thursday on American Family Radio, Steve Green explained that the mandate violates his family’s religious freedoms.
Green

“Their argument is that it is best for women, in a very general sense, to provide all 20 contraceptives that are mandated – and of course, we’re talking about four of the 20,” he shares. “We offer the 16 – so it’s not the contraceptive piece, it is the abortive piece that is problematic for us.”

Green said following a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, it was clear what path he and his family had to take.

“The Supreme Court made the ruling that it [the mandate] was a tax,” he recalled. “It was after that point that our legal counsel came and let us know what the ramifications of that were for our family with the 20 contraceptions that are mandated, four of those being abortive in nature, which he knew was something that would violate our own conscience. So that’s when we realized that we had no other option but to file suit.”

In the aftermath of the high court’s ruling and the Hobby Lobby lawsuit, Green has witnessed an outpouring of support for his family’s cause.

“Everywhere I go, if I’m out speaking somewhere or at an event of some sort, there has been a lot of support,” he told AFR. “A lot of people are in this same position in the business community and they’re kind of watching our case because they just don’t feel like they can take this battle on themselves and are supporting us. We’ve had a lot of people saying they’re praying for us.”

The lawsuit has been sent back and forth in federal court, but Hobby Lobby was just recently given a temporary injunction from the requirement. The federal government, meanwhile, has until October 1 to consider filing an appeal with the Supreme Court. In the meantime, Hobby Lobby is not subject to fines, as called for by the federal government for employers who do not comply.

In Hobby Lobby’s case, those fines – if applied to every employee – could amount to more than a million dollars a day.

“There is a calculation that is $100 per day per affected employee,” he explained. “If we were to take all of the employees and lives that are on our health plan – some employees don’t take our health plan, some of them do, and they’ve got dependents who are covered as well – there are about 13,000 [employees]. When you take the $100 per day, if you applied it to all 13,000, you’re at $1.3 million a day.”

Congress to Investigate Planned Parenthood Abortion Business

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO), a Congressional agency, has indicated it will conduct an investigation of the Planned Parenthood abortion, business, which was recently busted for millions of dollars of Medicaid fraud in Texas.

The abortion giant has engaged in at least $12.5 million in fraud over multiple states — that has become public knowledge so far.

Representatives Diane Black (R-TN), Pete Olson (R-TX), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA) issued states late Monday saying they are grateful the agency will look into the abortion corporation and its financial dealings.

“The federal government providing funding to abortion providers is a serious problem in our nation,” Rep. Black said.

She added: “I am pleased with the decision from GAO to investigate the use of taxpayer money designated to any abortion provider, particularly Planned Parenthood. This independent study of how much and for what purpose these dollars are allocated to all abortion providers is necessary for Congress to ensure accountability and oversight. I look forward to reviewing the results and ultimately, mobilizing the support needed to stop federal funding of abortion providers once and for all.”

Senator David Vitter added: “Planned Parenthood performed a record 333,964 abortions last year – almost 1 million in the past three years. At the same time, they also received more federal taxpayer dollars than ever before – a record $542 million, an 11 percent increase over the past two years. Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortions clearly benefit from Uncle Sam, but there’s no accounting to prove how they actually use that money. This GAO report would shine a light on how our tax dollars are being spent.”

“I’m thrilled that GAO has agreed to again investigate the amount of taxpayer funding that has been allocated to Planned Parenthood and similar groups that perform or promote abortions,” Rep. Pete Olson said.

Olson continued: “Federal tax dollars are legally prohibited from being used for abortions. Under the U.S. constitution, the Obama Administration has a duty to enforce these laws. And under that same constitution, Congress has a duty to ensure that the executive branch follows the law of the land. I look forward to seeing the report and following up on behalf of all American taxpayers.”

“Despite the best and slickest market branding money can buy, the stubborn fact remains that Planned Parenthood clinics are among the most dangerous places on Earth for a child. It is deeply troubling that despite the fact that Planned Parenthood claims direct responsibility for killing over 6 million unborn babies, including a record 333,964 abortions in 2011 alone, they still receive taxpayer money—since Obama’s election, U.S. subsidies to the abortion industry at home and abroad, have significantly increased,” Olson added.

These members of Congress led a group of more than 50 members of Congress requesting a report from the GAO on how taxpayer funding is specifically used by Planned Parenthood and other federally funded organizations that perform or promote abortion. Black and Vitter are the lead sponsors of the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 217/S. 135), legislation to block any Title X federal funding from going to organizations that perform abortions, such as Planned Parenthood.

Congressman Chris Smith concluded: “It’s time for Americans and especially Congress to take a second look and defund Planned Parenthood. I’m pleased that the GAO will be investigating how much taxpayer money the abortion industry is receiving. Hopefully this will help us finally put an end U.S. taxpayer support, funding and complicity with this violence against children.”

More Than 1 Million Bible App Users Complete American Bible Society's Reading Plans

The American Bible Society has announced that more than 1 million of its reading plans have been downloaded on LifeChurch.tv’s YouVersion Bible App, which just marked a major milestone of 100 million downloads by mobile users.

According to the American Bible Society, founded in 1816 and located in New York City, its reading plans are among the most popular options on the YouVersion Bible App, which boasts a nearly solid 5-star rating on Apple’s iTunes store and on Android’s Google Play store.

“With so many sinking trends for the Bible, it’s great to see God’s Word break out here in the opposite direction on YouVersion,” Geoffrey Morin, chief communications officer of American Bible Society, said in a press release. “We’re thrilled to play our part in helping the world’s best-selling book become one of the most-downloaded apps of all time.”

Bobby Gruenewal, co-founder of YouVersion and a pastor at LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma, credited the American Bible Society with helping the popular Bible App break its current record.

“YouVersion’s 100 million installs wouldn’t be possible without partners like American Bible Society. This is not a story about an app as much as a global mission to share the Bible. YouVersion has grown to become a coalition of publishers, pastors, churches and Bible societies who have joined forces to help this world engage with God’s Word.”

The YouVersion Bible App, launched in 2008, provides users with more than 600 versions of the Bible in over 350 languages for free. The app has become so popular that many ministries have recently signed on to be a part of the tech giant’s movement. The Billy Graham Evangelical Association announced last month that a new daily, one-year reading plan based on Graham’s sermons and writings would be made available through the YouVersion Bible App.

Paul Ryan Against Using Shutdown Threat to Repeal Obamacare

Republican congressman Paul Ryan on Sunday showed a resolve to repeal “Obamacare,” but stressed that efforts to remove President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare law should not use the threat of a government shutdown.

Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the GOP should make efforts to get rid of Obamacare, but not by blocking government funding bills that includes money for the program. A shutdown, he explained, would affect only budgets for government agencies, and not entitlement programs.

“Look – we all, Republicans, want to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Ryan, a former vice presidential candidate, said. “With the government shutdown, so to speak, we’re talking about discretionary spending, government agency budgets, but it doesn’t affect entitlements. Obamacare is an entitlement, you know, like Medicare and Social Security is. And so, the entitlement continues on, even under a government shutdown scenario. So it’s just not that simple and easy.”

The Wisconsin congressman went on to say that rather than “sort of swinging for the fences and trying to take this entire law out with discretionary spending, I think there are more effective ways of achieving that goal.” Republicans “we can do better by delaying this law. We’ve already had votes to delay other parts of it,” said Ryan, a possible Republican presidential candidate for 2016. “Democrats have supported us in that.”

The Obamacare is scheduled for implementation in October, and some Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, want the party to use the shutdown threat to kill it.

Ryan also differs with some of his colleagues in the party who believe a lack of effort towards immigration reform could harm the GOP politically. “I disagree that we should approach this issue based on what’s right for us politically. We should approach this issue on what we think is the right thing to do, the right policy,” he said.

“…Right now, people come to this country based on family relations, not based on skills,” Ryan added. “Most other countries have a legal immigration system that’s good for their economy – we should do the same. And when it comes to the undocumented, the people who came here illegally, we want to give people a chance to get right with the law while respect the rule of law and that means not doing an amnesty.”