Two years later, President Now Tries to Pay For Obamacare Federal Exchange
Click here to watch Sen. Barrasso’s remarks
President Obama promised the American people repeatedly that his health care reform wouldn’t add a dime to the deficit. Two years later, we know that it actually burdens Americans with more debt.
In fact, the President’s new budget proposal asks for almost a billion dollars to fund his health care “exchange.” This is because, as the Hill Newspaper recently reported:
“The health reform law did not set aside any money specifically for the creation of the federal exchange.”
Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) discussed how the Administration and Congressional Democrats knowingly ignored the costs of the President’s major new entitlement program in order to score a political victory.
Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks on the floor of the U.S. Senate:
“The President came out with his budget on Monday. It’s his fiscal year 2013 budget and, as I’ve said before, it is debt on arrival.
“To me, this is another clear example of President Obama’s lack of leadership and his bad habit of saying one thing and doing the exact opposite.
“The President’s new budget request asks for almost a billion dollars. A billion dollars to fund his health care exchange. As ‘The Hill’ newspaper recently reported: ‘The health reform law did not set aside any money specifically for the creation of the federal exchange.’
"Two years ago, did the President and my friends on the other side of the aisle seriously believe that Washington would be able to implement an unprecedented health care exchange for free?
“Well, of course not. But the fact is they knowingly, knowingly ignored the costs of the President’s new major entitlement program. Why? Well, to try to score a political victory.
“You know, the whole time that the Democrats were drafting the bill behind closed doors right outside this Senate chamber, they knew that it would cost American taxpayers billions and billions of dollars.
“But they didn’t want to admit it, they did not admit it, they refused to admit it. So they shaded the numbers, punted the problem down the road. So here we are now two years later and now they’re finally trying to pay for it. It’s listed in the President’s budget.
“To make matters worse, the 2013 Obama budget wants to spend $290 million for ‘consumer beneficiary education and outreach’ within the exchange.
“What does this mean? Well, it basically means they want to educate Americans about the changes in the health care law to the tune of $290 million of taxpayer dollars.
"Why? Why didn’t they take the time two years ago to educate the American people about the exchange and the costs of doing it? The reason is because they knew that the American people would never support the new law, would never give up their freedoms.
“Instead, the White House and Democrats in Congress covered up the costs, drafted the bill behind closed doors and jammed it through Congress.
“Well, now the financial bills are coming due. But, Madam President, the checks are not in the mail.
“The United States is running out of money and running out of money fast. Instead of proposing a serious budget that would get our country back on the right track, the President has put forward not a serious budget but a campaign document.
“No matter what he says, he is much more interested in winning votes now than in winning what he calls the future.
“The new $800 million price tag on the exchanges is bad and that is just the beginning. In fact, the cost of the President’s health care law’s going to continue to skyrocket each and every year.
“When we’re already $15 trillion in debt, we can’t allow this health care law to move forward. When we look at trillion-dollar deficits for each of the four years of the Obama presidency, we say, this cannot continue.”
###