Republican euphoria at successfully moving legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act through Congress will be short-lived, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.
The GOP accomplished “nothing” by passing the bill on Wednesday, since Obama will veto it as soon as it arrives, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
“They’ve voted 60 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act,” Earnest said. “This is the first time that it has reached the president’s desk, but it has no impact. And we’ve heard Republican presidential candidates on the campaign trail talk about how ineffectual the Republican Congress has been.”
“In this case, they’re right,” he continued. “And I think there is no clearer illustration of the ineffectual Republican leadership in Congress than this.”
Republicans are holding an “enrollment ceremony” on Thursday to celebrate the parliamentary procedure of finalizing passed legislation. Republicans “are trying to pump some drama” into “a victory that amounts to absolutely nothing,” he said.
When asked if President Obama plans a similar ceremony when he vetoes the bill once it arrives on his desk, Earnest said “no.” And when asked if it would be an “imposition” for the president to veto the bill, Earnest quipped: “Not at all … stroke of a pen.”
