House Republicans slammed the new Democratic health care reform bill this morning, but didn’t say when or if they’ll be offering a reform package of their own.
GOP leader John Boehner led a press conference to voice his concerns about the bill an hour or so after Pelosi was done presenting it outside. He walked carrying the nearly 2,000 page house bill, which he dropped with a thud onto the podium.
“Through August and September, the American people made it clear they want know part of a government-run system for providing health care,” he said. “[But] this bill amounts to a government takeover of our health care system.”
House GOP conference leader Mike Pence echoed the claim.
“This is day of profound disappointment for millions of Americans,” he said. “Democrats didn’t get the message” from the town hall protests this summer.
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) said it was clear from the language of the bill that Democrats intended to put the government in charge of health care. He pointed out that the word “shall” appeared in the bill’s text “over 3,000 times.”
The GOP made a strong and repeated case about what they think is wrong in Pelosi’s bill — but they gave no indication of when (or if) they’ll offer a clear alternative of their own.
“We have a number of ideas,” Boehner said. “But we’re not sure of how the Democrats will proceed.”
Boehner ducked the question of a GOP alternative many times in the press conference, claiming that the party will will offer its ideas “sometime soon.”
