03.23.12

Sessions Issues Statement On 2nd Anniversary Of President’s Health Law

“This bill is unpopular, unaffordable, and unconstitutional. It must be repealed.” 

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today to mark the second anniversary of the signing of President Obama’s health spending law:

“Two years ago, the president signed his 2,000-page health bill into law after it was forced through Congress over the outcry of the American people. The law represents an unprecedented expansion of federal power and opens the door to ever-increasing federal involvement in the daily lives of everyday citizens.

The president emphasized that his health law would spend about $900 billion over ten years. But looking at the proper window over the first full ten years of implementation (2014–2023), the correct figure is $2.6 trillion dollars. That’s three times what was claimed. And—despite massive tax hikes—former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eakin projects the bill will add more than $2 trillion to the debt by 2030.

At a time when our per-person government debt is worse than Greece, the implementation of this new unfunded entitlement will lead our country to financial disaster. As funds for health entitlements deplete, federal bureaucrats in Washington will begin rationing care. We also learned from the Congressional Budget Office that as many as twenty million Americans may lose their existing coverage as a result of the bill. Many believe the number to be far higher.

Two years later, the more we learn about what’s inside those 2,000 pages the worse things look. This bill is unpopular, unaffordable, and unconstitutional. It must be repealed.”