Sensenbrenner Disagrees with Johnson Lawsuit

Statement

Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) plans to file a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The purpose of the suit is to end the employer contribution authorized for Members of Congress and their staffs who have entered the District of Colombia healthcare exchange as mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner: "Senator Johnson's lawsuit is an unfortunate political stunt. I am committed to repealing Obamacare, but the employer contribution he's attacking is nothing more than a standard benefit that most private and all federal employees receive -- including the President. Success in the suit will mean that Congress will lose some of its best staff and will be staffed primarily by recent college graduates who are still on their parents' insurance. This will make it even more difficult to fight the President and his older, more experienced staff.

"Senator Johnson should spend his time legislating rather than litigating as our country is facing big problems that must be addressed by Congress -- not the courts. All Republicans want to repeal Obamacare, but this politically motivated lawsuit only takes public attention away from how bad all of Obamacare really is and focuses it on a trivial issue. Fortunately, Senator Johnson's suit is likely frivolous and will not achieve the result he's seeking."

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