RWPC Members Vote to Delay Obamacare Implementation

Press Release

Members of the Republican Women's Policy Committee voted last night for two bills that will delay both the employer and individual mandates in Obamacare. These mandates are set to cause crippling pain on job creators and our economy. Below are statements from RWPC Members following last night's vote:

Chairwoman Renee Ellmers

"Until this month, the Obama administration has turned a deaf ear to countless witnesses, doctors, patients, and employers who have detailed the law's negative impact on their families and their well-being. But with this delay, the administration has confessed that the danger is real. The jig is up. I will not rest until the entire law is dismantled and truly affordable, patient-centered, and flexible health care solutions are put into place. Only by placing doctors, patients, and their families first will we be able to retain a health care system that has been the envy of the world."

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

"The President's unilateral executive decision earlier this month to delay Obamacare's employer mandate without congressional approval was a stunning breach of the Constitution. If President Obama wants to delay portions of Obamacare, he needs to do so through the rule of law by passing a bill through Congress, not by legislating via blog post."

Congresswoman Diane Black

"I am committed to doing everything I can to protect all Americans from any and all costly and harmful provisions of Obamcare. The fact remains, anything short of full repeal is not enough, and that is why I will continue to fight tooth and nail and will pursue any and all opportunities to protect Americans from this horrendous law."

Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn

"It is simply not fair that the President has decided to protect business from Obamacare, but not hardworking individuals and families. Like most of the decisions made by this administration, this happened behind closed doors in secret meetings that excluded the interests of the general public. This legislation simply levels the playing field and provides all Americans with a reprieve from these burdensome Obamacare mandates. This is another step in Republican efforts to repeal the President's failed healthcare law and replace it with policies that will actually work."

Congresswoman Susan Brooks

"Yesterday's votes provide the relief that individuals and business owners need by giving them temporary shelter from some of Obamacare's worst provisions. House Republicans understand that hardworking Americans shouldn't have to pay a penalty for failing to comply with a law the government can't even implement. We've chosen to stand with substitute teachers who've had their hours cut, restaurant workers who've been switched to part-time employees and business owners who wish new regulations weren't standing in the way of new hires."

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito

"Without knowing what insurance options will be available to them or how much they will cost, Americans need more time to navigate the complexities of ObamaCare before getting hit with fines on January 1. With just a few months left before families are subjected to fines, the House took steps to buy them time and delay both the employer and individual mandates. These interim steps are crucial to our efforts to fully repeal this job-killing and disastrous law."

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

"Obamacare is a bad law, but it is a bad law President Obama asked for. And it's a bad law he, as mastermind and chief enforcer, must obey -- unless Congress authorizes a change. Today House Republicans voted to give the President the authority to delay the implementation of Obamacare's employer mandate -- something his Administration wants to do. But House Republicans went a step further. If businesses are getting a break from the President's law, individual Americans should too."

Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler

"Individuals, families, and businesses all deserve relief from ObamaCare. The people of Missouri's Fourth Congressional District have made it clear to me they are concerned that ObamaCare will lead to skyrocketing premiums and cause citizens to lose the health coverage they have and like. They are like Americans throughout the country whose opposition to ObamaCare has only grown since it was rammed through Congress and signed into law by the President. I call upon the Senate to pass these common sense bills."

Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins

"A Democrat Senator recently referred to the President's healthcare law as a 'train wreck,' but what many of us don't understand is why he would allow big businesses to exit the train safely and leave individuals and small businesses on the train for the crash. This is simply unfair. It is certainly easy to understand why the President would want to delay the employer mandate until after the next election cycle, because every employer can tell you it's going to cost them jobs and increase their cost. But it's unfair that the President would put politics before people."

Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers

"If the President wants to continue to talk about his health care law in terms of fairness, then he's got a lot of explaining to do. There is nothing fair about deciding arbitrarily which sections of his law he chooses to enforce, and there is nothing fair about giving businesses a break while making hardworking American families pay the price. We call on the Senate to join us and pass these bipartisan bills, and we call on the President to sign them -- because that's the fair thing to do."

Congresswoman Candice Miller

"The President is not a king, he is the President. He does not have the authority to change the law and delay the employer mandate on his own; Congress must give him that authority. I would say to the President that we will delay the job killing employer mandate, as he has asked, but we will also extend the same relief to all of the American people. The President and Members of Congress who vote against this bill will have to explain to the American people why they hear the concerns of business, but not those of the people. We have heard the people. We share their concerns. We stand with them."

Congresswoman Martha Roby

"In explaining the employer mandate delay, White House officials repeatedly said the President was "listening' to business. Well, it is time the President listened to the American people. Ordinary Americans may not have high-powered lobbyists, but they do have the House of Representatives, and today we took action to offer individuals the same relief offered to big businesses."

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

"With the administration's abrupt decision to delay implementation of the employer mandate, we see that even the President knows his health care law is confusing and poorly constructed. The implementation of Obamacare has been bungled at every opportunity and it is clear the law is not the answer for America's health care system. I am proud to vote for legislation that will delay this nightmare of a law until it can be fully and finally repealed."

Congresswoman Ann Wagner

"Since President Obama decided to delay the implementation of ObamaCare for unions and businesses for an entire year -- I decided to take action. That's why I voted to delay ObamaCare's employer and individual mandate from hurting the American people. By taking steps to delay the individual mandate, this act will protect hardworking, middle-class families from more taxes, fewer choices, inferior care and skyrocketing premiums. While this is only a one year reprieve, I will not stop fighting until ObamaCare is repealed and replaced with free-market based solutions that expand access without destroying our economy and lowering the quality of our care."

Congresswoman Jackie Walorski

"Hoosiers are looking for commonsense solutions from Washington to revive the economy and create more jobs. When I speak with constituents, the health care law is repeatedly cited as a ball and chain for businesses and families trying to make ends meet. Obamacare causes uncertainty for many reasons, most recently forcing employers to cut hours and reduce pay for hardworking citizens. While I supported today's votes, they are not a long-term solution. I will continue to work on permanently delaying the entire law to help families and restore confidence in the business community."

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