Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) marked the third anniversary of health care reform’s passage in the House of Representatives Thursday by warning that the law will soon begin to kill American citizens.
Bachmann, who has kept a low profile since her unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination, came out swinging against President Obama and health care reform in a speech that lasted more than 10 minutes.
“Let’s repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens,” Bachmann said on the House floor. “Let’s not do that. Let’s love people. Let’s care about people. Let’s repeal it now while we can.”
Three years after its passage and many months after the Supreme Court upheld it, many Republicans continue to call for repealing the health care law. Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) newest budget assumes repeal of the law. A number of Republican governors have refused to implement health insurance exchanges and expand Medicaid under the law. However, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) last week refused to include defunding ‘Obamcare’ as part of legislation to fund the government, saying it would risk “shutting down the government.”
In her speech, Bachmann accused Obama of insisting on a complete government take-over of health care. “What he demanded and insisted upon is that the government have 100 percent control over health care,” Bachmann said. “100 percent control? The American people lose control? What did they get? They get health care — health insurance, I should say — that is more expensive than anything they’ve ever paid for before. And they get less for it. Well what a deal, Mr. President, Mr. Speaker. What a deal.”
Pema Levy
Pema Levy is a News Writer at TPM covering the 2012 election. Before coming to TPM, Pema was an assistant editor at The American Prospect where she wrote about politics and the economy.
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