Congresswoman Lois Frankel issued the following statement regarding the House Republicans’ imminent legal action against President Obama for delaying the employer responsibility section of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) law without Congressional approval. 

“Here we go again.  House Republicans wasting time and money, this time with a frivolous lawsuit against the President instead of taking actions to jump start the middle class,” said Frankel.

“Government resources should be used to invest in infrastructure, not in a political stunt,”

The House Republicans have voted 52 times to repeal the ACA, the very legislation they are suing the President to implement faster. Costs of this lawsuit would be added to the growing price tag attached to House Republicans’ ongoing vendetta against the ACA which includes the $24 billion government shutdown and the $79 million spent on repealing the ACA.

Under the ACA, businesses with more than 50 workers are required to provide health care coverage, or pay fines of $2,000 per employee.  This was scheduled to begin in 2014, but was deferred by the President last year for 12 months. In February 2014, the President decided that companies with 50-100 full time employees do not have to comply with the rule until 2016.

A delay in implementing new laws is nothing new.  President Bush did this in 2006 - suspending the deadline and waiving penalties for some seniors who did not sign up for his Medicare prescription drug program.  The Republican House Majority did not file a lawsuit challenging Bush’s actions.

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