By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R) from Alabama said on Wednesday that Obamacare is a job killer and a monumental waste of tax dollars and announced that he will oppose each of the upcoming votes pertaining to the FY2014 continuing resolution (CR) when they come before the Senate.
Sen. Shelby said, “Congress should fund the government at a level consistent with current law. Unfortunately, this bill blatantly violates clear spending limits in the Budget Control Act. I will therefore oppose it at all points in the legislative process.”
Sen. Shelby added, “I will also firmly oppose any attempt to fund Obamacare. This law is a job killer that will destroy the most advanced and innovative health care system on earth. It is a monumental waste of taxpayer dollars. Our nation is $17 trillion in debt and millions of Americans remain out of work. To get our economy back on track, we must control spending and stop Obamacare. I reject this legislation because it will ultimately do neither.”
When Democrats passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) back in 2010 most economic and forecasters believed that we would be well into a robust recovery and unemployment would be minimal. In a growing economy, employers could simply absorb the costs of complying with Obamacare and pass on those costs to their consumers. Unfortunately we are in year four of what has been largely a jobless recovery. It has been good for stock market investors; but fewer Americans are working than in 2009 and household income has been flat.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 mandates across-the-board sequestration if Congress spends above annual caps specified in the law. Shelby opposed the Budget Control Act of 2011 because he felt that Congress should set clear priorities and make difficult decisions to control spending, not rely on an indiscriminate and disruptive mechanism like sequestration. Sen. Shelby said that Congress must adhere to the spending caps to avoid sequestration. Paying for implementing the unpopular Obamacare Act will make that goal even harder.
Shelby opposed the original enactment of Obamacare in 2010 and has supported every effort to repeal, de-fund, delay, and minimize the plan.
The Republican controlled House sent the Senate a Continuing Resolution that keeps the government funded and operating but it does not fund the implementation of Obamacare. The Democrats however control the U.S. Senate and they are in the process of trying to pass a CR that does fund the unpopular healthcare law. On Monday Senator Ted Cruz (R) from Texas delayed the process slightly by talking for over 20 hours.
Senator Richard Shelby was elected to the Senate in 1986.
