The Offer Still Stands

House Floor Remarks

Congressman Tom McClintock

October 10, 2013

Mr. Speaker:

On September 30th, after two previous attempts to keep the government fully funded, House Republicans adopted a measure that fully funded the government, fully funded Obamacare, but simply delayed the individual mandate for a year.

This proposal was summarily rejected by House and Senate Democrats and the government shut down.  

I can understand why they might take that position –they actually thought the exchanges would work.  

But they haven’t worked.  They have been a complete and unmitigated disaster.  After more than three years and 600 million dollars of development costs, they are far, far from being ready.  

With this new experience, what is so unreasonable about delaying the MANDATE for a year while these problems are addressed?   Isn’t this now a win-win for everyone – re-open the government AND give the Democrats’ signature program a one year’s reprieve from complete collapse?  That’s what the Republicans offered on September 30th, and that offer still stands.