Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid labeled House Republicans as hypocrites Monday for deciding to sue President Obama over his unilateral delays to Obamacare’s “employer mandate” despite their own votes to delay the rule and other parts of the signature overhaul.
“It’s difficult to understand how they’ve become so desperate,” the Nevada Democrat said from the Senate floor.
He also said Republican senators worked with the law’s Democratic architects to write the mandate, which requires employers of 50 or more full-time workers to offer adequate health insurance or pay fines.
Mr. Obama has twice delayed the rule, which was supposed to take effect this year alongside other key pillars of the law. It’s been put off until 2016 for some employers, and will be phased in next year for companies with more than 100 workers.
Republicans say the White House knows the mandate is unpopular and costing jobs, so Mr. Obama delayed the mandate past the mid-term elections.
The House majority has crafted a resolution to authorize their lawsuit, which they view as necessary to rein in a lawless president.
Mr. Reid said Congress should be focused on raising the minimum wage, making sure women earn equal pay for the same work or lessening the burden of student-loan debt.
“House Republicans are trying something worthy of daytime television, ’The People’s Court,’ and one of those channels you don’t watch very much. … This would be one where you really have to be desperate to watch something,” he said.
Mr. Reid cited legal analysts who say Congress lacks the standing to sue and that it would be silly if lawmakers sought legal recourse each time they disagreed with the president.
“They should go talk to ’Judge Judy,’ ” he said of Republicans. “She would throw this case out in half a second.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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