White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday the Obama administration would not accept any additional delays in Obamacare to avoid a government shutdown. This stance is ironic, as the administration has recently issued its own delays to the law.
Q: But are you willing to accept any delays in "Obamacare" in order to avoid a government shut down?
MR. CARNEY: No. The Congress passed the Affordable Care Act. The president signed it. The Supreme Court upheld it as constitutional. And it is providing benefits to millions of Americans today and will provide access to affordable health care to millions of Americans when the marketplaces take effect.
You know, Republicans seem to believe -- or those -- that faction of Republicans who have entertained this seem to believe that taking away those benefits is good messaging, is good politics. What it is beyond that, if they believe that, is harmful to the people who have those benefits, harmful to our economy.
And you know, they can, as they have 40 times already, continue to vote to repeal or change or defund the Affordable Care Act.
And we can all watch that exercise as it unfolds, but they should not harm average folks out there in order to participate in that exercise. They should do their jobs by making sure that the essential functions of government are funded and making sure that the full faith and credit of the United States government is upheld, as it has been since the birth of the nation.