Boehner: “From Day One, the White House Has Taken a Go-It-Alone Approach on Health Care” | Republican Leader John Boehner

Boehner: “From Day One, the White House Has Taken a Go-It-Alone Approach on Health Care” | Republican Leader John Boehner

Washington, Aug 19 - House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today issued the following statement today after news reports this morning about Democrats continuing their go-it-alone approach to health care:

“The announcement that Democrats will abandon bipartisanship in order to pass their costly government takeover of health care is nothing new. From day one, the White House has taken a go-it-alone approach on health care. Months ago, Republicans sent the President a letter noting areas of potential common ground on health care reform and requesting a meeting with him to discuss a bipartisan way forward. The Administration rejected our efforts to work together, choosing instead to craft a costly government takeover of health care and to march forward on a partisan basis solely with Democrats in Congress.

“Now, Democratic leaders find themselves all alone in support of a plan that will drive health care costs higher than ever, increase the federal deficit, slash Medicare, and let government bureaucrats make personal medical decisions that only patients and doctors should make. The more the American people learn about this plan, the less they like it. It’s time for President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and congressional Democrats to scrap this costly plan, start over and work with Republicans on reforms that make health care more affordable and accessible for middle-class families and small businesses.”

NOTE: On May 14, House Republican leaders sent a letter to President Obama asking for a meeting to discuss potential areas for common ground on health care, saying: “Despite our differences on some important health care-related issues, we are convinced there are areas offering potential for common ground on health care reform among Republicans and Democrats.” The White House response ignored the request for a meeting to discuss common ground on health care entirely, as Politico reported on June 6.