Obama Vetoes Bill That Would Repeal Affordable Healthcare Act, Cut Federal Funding To Planned Parenthood

President Barack Obama used his veto power today to block a bill presented by the Congress to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act. The veto comes as no surprise to the Republican-dominated Congress who says that the veto will only temporarily keep the measure from passing. House Speaker Paul Ryan says that if the bill is sent to a Republican president next year, it will be signed into law.

CNN reports that President Barack Obama vetoed a bill presented by the Congress to repeal his signature Affordable Healthcare Act. Obama has touted the act as one of his greatest presidential accomplishments, so it was not surprising to see that the president vetoed measures to repeal the act. In his letter to Congress regarding the veto, Obama notes that he is vetoed the bill because it would “reverse the significant progress we have made in improving health care in America.”

Hudson Responds to Obama’s Veto of Obamacare Repeal https://t.co/l3577ndrGX

— US House (@USHousefeeds) January 9, 2016

Obama has been vocal about his praise of the healthcare reform act and believes that the act marks significant advancement in healthcare for the American public. In his veto letter he points out the benefits of the Affordable Healthcare Act including making “health care coverage more affordable, more attainable and more patient-centered.” He goes on to say “and it is working.”

There have been numerous attempts for the House and Senate to pass healthcare reform repeal bills since the passing of the Affordable Healthcare Act. However, this is the first of the bills that made it all the way to Obama’s desk. Though Obama refuses to sign the legislation which would have cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood, ended the law’s Medicaid expansion and subsidies, and put an end to tax increases implemented under the law, Republicans believe that that it is only a matter of time before the repeal is finalized.

House Speaker Paul Ryan addressed the veto in a video on his personal YouTube Channel. In his video, Ryan says it comes as “no surprise that someone named Obama vetoed a bill repealing Obamacare.” However, Ryan says that the House and Senate have no plans of dropping the issue. In fact, he says they will hold a vote to override the veto taking the process “all the way to the end under the constitution.” Ryan says that even if they are unable to override the veto, the Affordable Healthcare Act is not the law of the land and that it will immediately be repealed if a Republican president wins the 2016 election.

“This law will collapse under its own weight. Or it will be repealed because all of those rules and procedures Senate democrats have used to block us from doing this, that’s all history. So next year, if we are sending this bill to a Republican president, it will get signed into law. Obamacare will be gone.”

According to NBC News, Obama told Republicans in Congress that instead of wasting time trying to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act, they should be focusing on working together to grow the economy.

“Republicans in the Congress have attempted to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act over 50 times. Rather than refighting old political battles by once again voting to repeal basic protections that provide security for the middle class, members of Congress should be working together to grow the economy, strengthen middle-class families, and create new jobs.”

You can read Obama’s full veto message below.

Here’s Obama’s veto message on the Affordable Care Act repeal bill. pic.twitter.com/b29ucCOnsn

— Jeffrey Young (@JeffYoung) January 8, 2016

What do you think about Obama vetoing the bill that would repeal portions of the Affordable Healthcare Act?

[Image via AP/Susan Walsh]