As Republicans attempt to damage Obamacare in exchange for a temporary government funding bill, Arizona Republican Rep. Matt Salmon said Americans are crying out for ‘principled leadership’ who are willing to take such a hard line.
“Standing on principle communicates every time that we’re not gonna be the same get-along, go-along folks that have been in D.C. before. I think the public is crying out for real principled leadership and being willing to really stand for something,” Salmon said.
Republicans are now attempting to delay Obamacare for a year in exchange for funding the government until the end of the calender year, but in a recent National Journal/United Technologies poll, 63% of the public said they don’t want the government to be shut down over Obamacare. That majority includes a slim majority of Republicans, 51%.
“And this is an opportunity I believe to actually change some stuff in a very, very bad law that will be very, very hurtful to individuals—not just businesses, but individuals,” he said. “We believe that in all of our hearts.”
Former spokesperson for President George W. Bush Nicolle Wallace challenged Salmon: “Is there any line where we imperil our party and our ability to communicate that we’re capable of governing. Do you think there’s a line that we’re in danger of crossing, or do you think we stand on principle and let the chips fall where they may?”
Salmon responded: “Listen, I do not want to see us go into a government shutdown. We stayed through the weekend to try and make sure that doesn’t happen,” he said, criticizing the Senate for not working through the weekend.
Early on Sunday, the House sent a stop-gap funding bill back to the Senate funding the government in exchange for a one year delay of the healthcare law, as well as a repeal of the medical devices tax. The Senate is now expected to do exactly what they did last week—strip the bill of its healthcare amendments and send a “clean” bill back to the House.
“This to me is the single worst law in the last 40 years,” Salman said. “If we can change this law to try and make it better, then we have a responsibility to try and do so.”
Jane Timm