GOP should try to repeal Obamacare, Johnson says
Party failed to scrap ACA when it had control
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson signaled Monday that if Republicans regain control of Congress this year — and the presidency in 2024 — they should again try to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Johnson, running for a third term, said that if Republicans win the U.S. Senate this year they would be able to blunt President Joe Biden’s policies.
“We’re just going to end his agenda so he can stop destroying America,” Johnson said in an interview with Breitbart News Daily Podcast.
If the party completes an electoral sweep in 2024, Johnson said, “we can actually make good on what we established as our priorities.”
“In other words, if we’re for example, if we were going to repeal and replace Obamacare — I still think we need to fix our health-care system — we need to have the plan ahead of time so that once we get in office, we can implement it immediately, not knock around like we did last time and fail.”
In 2017, with President Donald Trump in office, Republicans failed in a legislative attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Johnson has been a staunch foe of Obamacare since launching his political career in 2010 and defeating incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold.
During the Breitbart interview, Johnson was asked about U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s 11-point “Rescue America” plan. The Florida Republican’s proposal includes a provision to require all Americans to pay some income tax.
“Do I agree with everything on it? No. Most of it. I would have changes in certain things,” Johnson said.
Late Monday, Johnson issued a lengthy statement in which he clarified his earlier remarks.
Johnson said that during the interview he used the failure “to repeal and replace Obamacare as an example of how we need to be prepared to deliver on whatever agenda items we decide to run on. I was not suggesting repealing and replacing Obamacare should be one of those priorities.
“Even when we tried and failed, I consistently said our effort should focus on repairing the damage done by Obamacare and transitioning to a health system that works. I reiterated the necessity to fix our healthcare system in that interview and COVID-19 has exacerbated these failures.”
Johnson had come under withering criticism from Democrats and said they were “false attacks.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, responded to Johnson’s radio comments with a tweet: “Here we go again: even in the wake of a pandemic, the GOP just can’t quit their obsession with ripping health care away from Americans with pre-existing conditions.”
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki also posted a critical tweet: “Senate Republicans have a plan to gut health care, raise premiums, and strip protections for pre-existing conditions. They also want to raise taxes on half of Americans, including seniors and working families. Don’t take my word for it, listen to @SenRickScott and @SenRonJohnson.”
Last year, the Biden administration said 31 million Americans accessed health care through the Affordable Care Act. A record 14.5 million signed up for the insurance for 2022, according to the Biden administration.