The Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as “Obamacare,” was never going to be repealed on the first day of the 115th Congress, which convened Tuesday.
For starters, if the House and Senate were to pass such a resolution, President Barack Obama would veto it, because Republicans alone can’t override a veto. So, knowing the bill won’t likely get an up-or-down vote in Congress until Jan. 20 at the absolute earliest, Americans got a very good sign right away, when House Republicans introduced the resolution that will result in the eventual repeal of Obamacare.
The legislation, a budgetary concurrent resolution, was referred to committee, where it will wait out the remainder of the Obama presidency before it emerges for a floor vote later this month. In the meantime, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) issued the following statement:
This is the first step toward relief for Americans struggling under Obamacare. This resolution sets the stage for repeal followed by a stable transition to a better health care system. Our goal is to ensure that patients will be in control of their health care and have greater access to quality, affordable coverage. Today we begin to deliver on our promise to the American people. {eoa}
