A federal judge handed House Republicans a win Thursday after ruling that the Obama administration was unlawfully funding an Obamacare subsidy program without congressional approval.
U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer ordered the administration to halt cost-sharing under the health care law until the House appropriates the necessary funds. Collyer put a hold on her ruling going into effect while anticipating appeal from the administration.
"Congress authorized reduced cost-sharing but did not appropriate monies for it," Collyer, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in her 38-page ruling. "Congress is the only source for such an appropriation, and no public money can be spent without one."
The cost-sharing subsidies assist low-income Americans in paying for out-of-pocket medical costs. Politico noted that the ruling would not mark a "fatal blow" to the health care law should Collyer’s decision stand.
GOP members filed a lawsuit against the administration arguing that because Congress never authorized the program, the president was violating the law and overstepping his constitutional boundaries.
Today's Obamacare decision is a victory for the American people, and for House Republicans, who have stood firm for the rule of law.
— John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) May 12, 2016
Lawmakers on the right lauded the ruling as an effective check on the executive’s power. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called the decision "a victory for the rule of law" and a judicial scolding of "a president who has routinely flouted the Constitution."
"The Republican Party is united in our resolve to repeal Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered reforms that will actually lower costs and expand access to care," he said in a statement Thursday.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest meanwhile predicted that the GOP would ultimately lose the battle.
"This suit represents the first time in our nation's history that Congress has been permitted to sue the executive branch over a disagreement about how to interpret a statute," Earnest told reporters. "It's unfortunate that Republicans have resorted to a taxpayer-funded lawsuit to re-fight a political fight that they keep losing. They've been losing this fight for six years, and they'll lose it again."