Thursday, January 6, 2011

Boehner defends O-Care nix

Jan. 6: House Speaker John Boehner, right, accompanied by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, speaks to the media on Capitol Hill.

By S.A. MILLER Post Correspondent

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker John Boehner yesterday vowed to forge ahead with repeal of President Obama's health-care laws, brushing aside a government report showing repeal would increase the federal deficit by $230 billion over the next decade.

Boehner (R-Ohio) said the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is "entitled to their opinion."

"I do not believe that repealing the job-killing health-care law will increase the deficit," he said, citing faults in the accounting and contradictory reports from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Democrats touted the CBO report -- which also estimated 32 million fewer people would have health insurance without the law -- as evidence Republicans were already breaking their promise to cut the $1.3 trillion deficit.

In a show of resolve to cut spending to 2008 levels, the Republican-led House yesterday cut its own budget by 5 percent, saving about $35 million.

Debate on the health-care repeal is set to start today, with a vote scheduled for Wednesday. It should easily pass the House, but isn't expected to pass the Senate.


No comments: