Sen. Mitch McConnell, fresh out a sweeping victory in Kentucky that will likely make him the Senate majority leader, said Wednesday that Obamacare was a “huge legislative mistake” that is hurting states and the American people.
But he signaled that so long as President Obama is in the White House, his members will not be able to repeal the Affordable Care Act wholesale.
“If I had the ability, obviously I’d get rid of it,” he said at a press conference at the University of Louisville, less than 24 hours after he defeated Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes and celebrated huge Republican gains elsewhere late Tuesday.
Instead, Mr. McConnell signaled the Republican Congress will challenge Mr. Obama’s veto pen by trying to scrap the least popular aspects of Obamacare, such as a tax on medical device sales and an employer insurance mandate that defines full-time work as 30 hours per week instead of 40.
Americans “hate” the individual mandate requiring them to hold health insurance if they can afford it and do not qualify for an exemption, he added.
“I think we will be addressing that issue in a variety of different ways,” the senator told reporters.
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• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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