Obama Vetoes Bill to Repeal Obamacare and Defund Planned Parenthood

As predicted, President Obama has vetoed a bill passed by Congress which would have repealed the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and cut federal funding to Planned Parenthood for at least a year.

According to cnn.com, Obama vetoed the bill on Friday (January 8), writing, "Rather than re-fighting old political battles by once again voting to repeal basic protections that provide security for the middle class, members of Congress should be working together to grow the economy, strengthen middle-class families, and create new jobs.”

"Because of the harm this bill would cause to the health and financial security of millions of Americans, it has earned my veto," he added.

Although the Republican-led Congress doesn’t have enough votes to override the President’s veto, House Speaker Paul Ryan said they will hold an override vote anyway.

"It's no surprise that someone named Obama vetoed a bill repealing Obamacare," Ryan said in a statement.

"But here's the thing. The idea that Obamacare is the law of the land for good is a myth. This law will collapse under its own weight, or it will be repealed. Because all those rules and procedures Senate Democrats have used to block us from doing this? That's all history," he added. "We have now shown that there is a clear path to repealing Obamacare without 60 votes in the Senate. So, next year, if we're sending this bill to a Republican president, it will get signed into law."

Publication date: January 8, 2016