Wisconsin Republican Congressman Glenn Grothman said he doesn’t think Congress will need to address a Texas court ruling overturning the Affordable Care Act because it won’t be upheld on appeal.
U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor struck down the law last week, siding with a group of 18 Republican state attorneys general — including Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel — who brought the case.
O’Connor found the entire health care law became invalid in 2017 when Congress zeroed out the tax penalty for people who don’t have health insurance.
Stay informed on the latest news
Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.
Speaking Thursday on Wisconsin Public Radio, Grothman said he expects O’Connor’s ruling will not be final.
“I think it might be a good ruling, but I don’t know anybody up here who thinks the ruling will be upheld on appeal,” Grothman said. “So there has not been a lot of feeling of we have to do something tomorrow because of that ruling.”
The lawsuit in question was a subject of intense scrutiny during this year’s campaigns.
While the lawsuit was focused on ending the ACA’s individual mandate, Schimel said earlier this year that the entire law would fail without that provision.
Grothman said he still thought Congress needed to do more to address health care costs.
Grothman also told WPR he supports President Donald Trump’s new rule instituting work requirements for people who receive food stamps.
Trump announced the executive order after Republicans failed to add a similar provision to the U.S. Farm Bill.
Grothman voted for the Farm Bill, saying the Trump administration told him ahead of time that it planned to add the work requirement after the bill was passed.
Grothman said leaving the bill until next year when Democrats take control of the U.S. House could have prevented Trump from taking that step.
“We had been told prior to the Farm Bill vote that they wanted the Farm Bill to pass as-is so that President Trump would have had this capability,” Grothman said. “And by the way, I strongly agree with the work requirements.”
Grothman said he thinks the provision will encourage work. Critics say it will jeopardize food assistance for Americans who are struggling to find stable jobs.
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.