Obama vetoes bill to repeal Obamacare

By Samantha Avalos 1/7/2015

President Barack Obama has vetoed legislation that Congress hoped would repeal the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood.

President Obama, in a statement released Friday by the White House, said, “Health care costs are lower than expected when the law was passed, and health care quality is higher — with improvements in patient safety saving an estimated 87,000 lives,”

President Obama made statements explaining the repeal of the Affordable Care act and defunding Planned Parenthood “would reverse the significant progress we have made in improving health care in America.”

Congress, led by Republicans, does not have enough votes to override the expected veto. But sending this bill to the White House is the first time Republicans have gotten close to repealing President Obama’s signature health-care reform.

House Speaker Paul Ryan said, “it was no surprise that someone named Obama vetoed a bill repealing Obamacare.” Ryan pledged to hold a vote to override the veto.

Republicans do not want their tax money to be used for abortions, especially after the allegations towards Planned Parenthood about selling tissue and organs of aborted fetuses. Ryan says the group should not receive public funds.

In December the Senate passed the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act by preventing a filibuster by the Democrats in the Senate. Budget reconciliation is the one chance a year the majority party can bypass the Senate filibuster, and get the bill to the President’s desk without any vote from the minority party.

Since the law was first passed, Republicans have tirelessly attempted to repeal any part of Obama’s health-care reform. Unsuccessfully repealing the reform, Paul Ryan said he would continue the effort of eradicating the Affordable Care Act.