Washington - Today, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA) introduced the Defund Obamacare Act of 2013, which would defund the controversial and unworkable law in its entirety. Heritage Action released the following statement from chief executive officer Michael A. Needham:
"Sen. Cruz and Rep. Graves have introduced their defund Obamacare bill at a critical time. The Administration's announcement last week that they cannot implement Obamacare's employer mandate without destroying American jobs is more conclusive evidence the law is unworkable. The legislation is an excellent and necessary first step to preventing the damage that will be caused by the implementation of Obamacare. This is only a first step, though. Congress cannot simply allow the bill to languish. It must fight to attach it to must-pass legislation and force Democrats and President Obama to accept that Obamacare has failed and cannot be salvaged."
Background: Starting October 1, 2013, Obamacare will begin to gain a new constituency when open enrollment begins. Then, on January 1, 2014, the exchanges and Medicaid expansion will take hold. At that point, it becomes significantly more difficult to overturn Obamacare.