The Republican congressman who caught heat from a group of tea partiers issued a release Tuesday to prove that he shares their aversion to the new federal health care law.
Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC) was grilled Monday at a town hall in Charlotte after he told members of the tea party website ConstitutionalWar.org that the call by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to block funding for a Obamacare — and risk a government shutdown — is a quixotic effort.
“Do you think Harry Reid is going to pass that in the Senate?” Pittenger asked, prompting the tea party faithful to shout back at him.
The video was posted Tuesday by ConstitutionalWar.org.
Now Pittenger’s office is pushing back, providing TPM with a release (posted below) that details the freshman representative’s anti-Obamacare bona fides.
The incident at the town hall was the latest chapter in a growing battle on the right over defunding Obamacare, with Lee backed by the likes of Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rand Paul (R-KY). Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and influential conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer, meanwhile, have criticized the defunders.
