Adding his name to the GOP chorus calling for Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ resignation, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) said Tuesday that the secretary must be “held accountable” for Obamacare’s rocky online rollout.
Asked by ABC News on a conference call whether he agrees with gubernatorial candidate and Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), who has called for Sebelius to step down, Ryan said “I do agree with that.”
“I’d probably say that to her if I ever saw her in person,” Ryan said. “It’s becoming more and more clear by the day that they knew the rollout wouldn’t go well.”
Republicans have been fiercely critical of the Obamacare web portal’s glitch-ridden Oct. 1 launch. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) called for the HHS secretary’s resignation a few weeks ago, asserting “Americans are tired of the Sebelius spin.”
But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to make Sebelius the scapegoat for the insurance marketplace’s technical issues, instead saying those problems show the need to delay the health care law’s individual mandate.
“I don’t think anybody should administer this law. I don’t think it can work,” McConnell said.
