Griffin and Young Introduce Bills to Delay Obamacare Mandate, Protect Families

Press Release

Congressmen Tim Griffin (AR-02) and Todd Young (IN-09), members of the Ways and Means Committee, issued the following statements after introducing a pair of bills designed to delay implementation of the employer mandate provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and provide the same relief to individuals:

"The White House may believe it can unilaterally delay implementation of Obamacare's employer mandate, but only Congress can change the law," Griffin said. "My bill delays its implementation, saving jobs and protecting workers. I'm also honored to be an original cosponsor of my friend Todd Young's bill, which will protect hardworking Americans from the individual mandate. Unlike the President, we know it's not fair to give businesses and labor unions relief from Obamacare's job-crushing provisions and leave families to deal with the disastrous consequences."

"From day one Obamacare has been a bill littered with broken promises," said Young. "Rather than driving health care costs down, the individual mandate is imposing a new tax and burdensome costs on middle class families. Rather than creating jobs, the employer mandate is leading to hourly employees seeing their work and wages cut. This is unacceptable, and hardworking Americans deserve the same exemptions that President Obama is unilaterally granting to businesses and labor unions. I'm proud to introduce legislation to that end with Tim Griffin on behalf of every American."

Dr. Charles Boustany (LA-03), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee's Oversight Subcommittee, issued the following statement as an original cosponsor of both bills:

"Having voted against Obamacare 37 different times, I continue to stand defiantly against it: including defunding it, or delay as a step to full repeal. The unpopular individual mandate punishes Americans and infringes on individual freedom. The employer mandate is just as bad since it will kill jobs and harm our economy. Obamacare is full of deficiencies, and this legislation proves yet again: Obamacare is unworkable."

Griffin's bill, the Authority for Mandate Delay Act (H.R. 2667), would delay the application of the employer health insurance mandate for one year, authorizing President Obama's previously announced policy change. Young's legislation, the Fairness for American Families Act (H.R. 2668), would provide similar relief to those impacted by the individual health insurance mandate prescribed in the ACA.

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