Maroc - RAWSTORY.COM - Raw Story - 13/Oct 22:15

Mike Johnson under fire over 'mealy-mouthed lies' about ObamaCare

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is under fire over claims he made about Obamacare allegedly failing Americans, and his desire to repeal the Affordable Care Act.Asked if he supported repealing ObamaCare, Johnson told reporters that he believed the health care program “was created to implode upon itself,” and has “failed the American people.”“It was promised to be a great success, to make healthcare more affordable. It’s done exactly the opposite.”He claimed that the “Republican Party is the party that has the plans to fix it,” and that it’s “a very, very complicated series of measures and steps that you have to take to fix it.”Republicans have “lots of plans on the table,” he said, including, probably, “a hundred different ideas on how to fix it.”READ MORE: ‘Seem Very Nervous’: Top Trump Officials Blasted After Lashing Out at ‘No Kings’ Protests“Now, it takes a long time to build consensus in a legislative body to do those kinds of things. And we have lots of plans on the table. We have whole caucuses who work on this around the clock all the time.”Johnson has kept Republican House members in their home districts for weeks since the shutdown began.He also pointed to the “reforms” Republicans made to Medicare as an example of how they might fix the Affordable Care Act, or ACA.NBC News reported that “Johnson’s comments escalate the battle one day before the Senate is slated to return to Washington, albeit with no clear path to end the shutdown. It will test the patience and resolve of both parties as federal employees — including members of law enforcement, air traffic controllers and TSA staff — are slated to miss paychecks.”READ MORE: ‘Cornerstone of American Freedom’: National Security Group Blasts Johnson AttackU.S. Sen. Patty Murray, the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, blasted the House Speaker.“5 minutes of mealy-mouthed lies,” she wrote in response to the Speaker’s claims. “Republicans wanted to repeal the ACA with no replacement—they failed. This summer, they cut $1 trillion from health care, gutting Medicaid & sabotaging the ACA.”“They have no health care plan and they want to let your premiums more than double,” she said.Democrats have demanded Republicans continue the Affordable Care Act subsidies they struck down in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” that will, they say, skyrocket premiums to possibly double or even triple current levels.I asked @SpeakerJohnson if he wants to repeal Obamacare. Here’s his full 5+ minute response. pic.twitter.com/mfw1Mtilla— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) October 13, 2025 READ MORE: Johnson: Trump Will Stop Firing Federal Workers When the Government Reopens