As expected, President Barack Obama vetoed the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, which would have removed most of Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding as well as repeated key provisions of Obamacare.
According to The Hill, the president said repealing the law would reverse improvements in the nation’s healthcare system.
“Because of the harm this bill would cause to the health and financial security of millions of Americans, it has earned my veto,” the president said.
But the fight isn’t over yet. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pledged today to schedule a vote to override the president’s veto.
“It’s no surprise that someone named Obama vetoed a bill repealing Obamacare. But we will hold a vote to override this veto, taking this process all the way to the end under the Constitution,” Ryan said in a statement.
Even though pro-life lawmakers in the Senate do not have the 60 votes required to override a presidential veto, this still isn’t the end of the story, the Speaker says.
“The idea that Obamacare is the law of the land for good is a myth. This law will collapse under its own weight, or it will be repealed,” he said. “We have now shown that there is a clear path to repealing Obamacare without 60 votes in the Senate. So, next year, if we’re sending this bill to a Republican president, it will get signed into law.”
Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser agrees that the vote is important because it shows that Planned Parenthood can and will be defunded if a pro-life president is elected later this year.
“This veto, as well as Planned Parenthood’s timely endorsement of Hillary Clinton yesterday, should serve as a wakeup call for pro-life Americans. A pathway has been created by the reconciliation process to defund Planned Parenthood. This longtime pro-life goal – and many others – can only be achieved if the nation elects a pro-life leader this November. SBA List will work tirelessly to ensure voters understand who will defend the abortion industry and who will stand up for our pro-life values as president.”
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, also sees a silver lining in today’s news.
“Congress has blazed a trail for moving this kind of legislation forward when America finally has a president who understands the value of every person, born and unborn,” Perkins said. “Thanks to this new precedent, the next time a bill removing tax dollars to Planned Parenthood and repealing Obamacare hits a pro-life president’s desk, both the travesties of tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood and Obamacare will be brought to an end.”
A vote to override the president’s veto is expected to take place later this month and potentially coincide with the date of the annual March for Life which will take place this year on January 22.
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
