Political fallout from Supreme Court ruling
By: Mark Gruba
Updated: June 29, 2012
Immediately after the Supreme Court's ruling Thursday to uphold the Constitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, candidates for Congress along with the President and Republican challenger Mitt Romney offered reaction to the landmark decision.
Romney said the Court's ruling doesn't change how Republicans view the Affordable Care Act. "Obamacare was bad policy yesterday, it's bad policy today," he said in Washington.
Romney was also quick to turn the legal defeat into a rally cry for change. "What the Court did not do on its last day in session, I will do on my first day if elected President of the United States," he said.
Although the ruling was a clear victory for President Barack Obama, he said Americans were the real winners. "Today's decision was a victory for people all over the country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it," said the President.
The ruling will impact the discourse in every Congressional race, including Monroe County's showdown between Republican Maggie Brooks and Democratic incumbent Louise Slaughter. In a statement, Slaughter said she was pleased with the Court's ruling. "I was proud to bring this bill to the floor of the House of Representatives as Chairwoman of the Rules Committee in 2009, and I continue to be proud of the ways in which the law has improved health care access for millions of Americans."
Brooks acknowledged Slaughter's role in passing the health care reform, but called it Washington dysfunction at its worst in a statement. "The Supreme Court's decision today made clear that the Obamacare individual mandate is a colossal new tax to be levied on the American people, one which will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars for years to come."
House Republicans said they will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act when they return from the July 4 recess, but that will have little impact. The Democratically controlled Senate is unlikely to support repealing the law, bu the debate will rage from now until election day in November.
Romney said the Court's ruling doesn't change how Republicans view the Affordable Care Act. "Obamacare was bad policy yesterday, it's bad policy today," he said in Washington.
Romney was also quick to turn the legal defeat into a rally cry for change. "What the Court did not do on its last day in session, I will do on my first day if elected President of the United States," he said.
Although the ruling was a clear victory for President Barack Obama, he said Americans were the real winners. "Today's decision was a victory for people all over the country whose lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court's decision to uphold it," said the President.
The ruling will impact the discourse in every Congressional race, including Monroe County's showdown between Republican Maggie Brooks and Democratic incumbent Louise Slaughter. In a statement, Slaughter said she was pleased with the Court's ruling. "I was proud to bring this bill to the floor of the House of Representatives as Chairwoman of the Rules Committee in 2009, and I continue to be proud of the ways in which the law has improved health care access for millions of Americans."
Brooks acknowledged Slaughter's role in passing the health care reform, but called it Washington dysfunction at its worst in a statement. "The Supreme Court's decision today made clear that the Obamacare individual mandate is a colossal new tax to be levied on the American people, one which will cost taxpayers trillions of dollars for years to come."
House Republicans said they will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act when they return from the July 4 recess, but that will have little impact. The Democratically controlled Senate is unlikely to support repealing the law, bu the debate will rage from now until election day in November.
