Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell was supposed to testify to the Ways and Means Committee in the House Wednesday about HHS's budget, since Ways and Means is all about the money side of government. But why would Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan want to do his job when he could make it all about politics and the
emerging Republican theme that this is a bad law which the American people have to be protected from by figuring out how to save the bad law. No, it still doesn't make much sense, but Ryan
ran with it.
"It shouldn't surprise you that we're more interested in talking about ObamaCare, especially given the president's remarks this week," Ryan said. "[W]hatever the Supreme Court decides later this month, I think the lesson is absolutely clear: ObamaCare is flat busted."
The top Democrat, Rep. Sander Levin (Mich.), hit back at Ryan.
"What's busted is not the ACA, but your attacks," he said. "Endless attacks, never coming up with a single comprehensive alternative all these years, so you are armchair critics while millions have insurance who never had it before."
He also pointed out that Republicans are backing the King v. Burwell lawsuit.
"It’s your allies who brought the suit that will deprive them of insurance," Levin said.
Ryan pressed Burwell on whether the administration would work on an overhaul of ObamaCare to promote "freedom." Burwell responded that under ObamaCare already, "the marketplace is a market. It uses private insurers."
Ryan pressed, asking "what will the administration do: will they stand up with one piece of paper and say 'my way or the highway' or will he work with Congress?" Because everyone knows Congress is so anxious to find a way to work with Obama to fix this mess that Republicans have created. It all boils down to the only thing congressional Republicans have been able to agree on as a strategy to respond to a bad outcome in
King: Blame Obama.