Former President Barack Obama jokingly referred to “Vice President Biden” during his White House return to promote the Affordable Care Act.
“Thank you. Vice President Biden. Vice president — that was a joke,” Obama said Tuesday at the start of his remarks when the crowd began to laugh. “My president, Joe Biden,” he added.
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Obama’s return to the White House, 12 years after his signature bill became law, is his first visit since he left office in 2017. He talked about changes Biden had instituted in his absence, including the presence of a first cat.
Biden invited Obama back to the White House to tout a proposed rule that would close the ACA’s so-called “family glitch” loophole, which has prevented about 5 million people from qualifying for subsidized health insurance plans. The measure would permit employee family members who are offered affordable healthcare for the worker but not their dependents to become eligible for Obamacare premium tax credits, a plan that is estimated to help 200,000 uninsured people and to make healthcare cheaper for almost 1 million people.
Biden will also sign an executive order directing federal agencies “to continue doing everything in their power to expand affordable, quality health coverage.” He signed a similar action last January.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the country’s first black female No. 2, introduced Obama, the first black president, saying: “Feels good. Doesn’t it?” She additionally implored Congress to make the American Rescue Plan’s more generous ACA subsidies permanent.
The amplification of Obamacare coincides with a desired pivot for Biden to focus on domestic topics, such as inflation, as foreign policy over Russia and Ukraine dominates national and international headlines before the midterm elections. The spotlight on the ACA is ironic since Republican opposition to the legislation fueled, in part, Obama’s 2010 “shellacking” that cycle, losing over 60 seats in the House.
Biden and Obama had lunch in the West Wing before the signing ceremony, a tradition they started every Tuesday during the latter’s administration. Biden shared a photo of the pair in the Oval Office before the event.
It’s an honor to welcome my friend President @BarackObama back to the White House. I look forward to discussing the big step we’re announcing today that would expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act for families and lower health care costs for hardworking Americans. pic.twitter.com/FkLnkB96Jt
— President Biden (@POTUS) April 5, 2022
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters this week the duo “talk regularly” and that their friendship is “not a relationship of obligation.”
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“They are real friends, not just Washington friends,” she said. “I’m sure they will talk about events in the world, as well as their families and personal lives.”
