Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham used some colorful language to lead a chorus of GOP criticism Wednesday against Democratic demands to add Obamacare cost savings subsidies to a giant must-pass government funding bill that is now stalled over the issue.
“This bill I think is a piece of crap,” Graham said. “And I would not, if I were President Trump, be told by the Democrats you’ve got to keep making payments that are of questionable legality.”
Republicans complain the subsides, which are paid to insurance companies to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for low-income people trying to pay for health care, were never approved by Congress but put in place by the Obama administration.
“These payments were never authorized by Congress, were not included in previous spending bills, and the Obama administration made these payments in violation of the law,” Graham said.
Asked what the repercussions for Obamacare would be if the subsidies were cut off, Graham said Democrats who passed the controversial would be responsible for its potential collapse and will be blamed if the government shuts down over the standoff.
“The people who designed that bill own it. We never authorized these payments. Obama did this on his own. I always say we don’t elect kings, we elect presidents. Because he did it doesn’t make it right,” Graham said. “I would absolutely tell the Democrats that if you want to shut down the government over this, you will pay a price.”