Supreme Court Will Hear Arguments on Obama Health Care Overhaul; GOP Reacts

The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear arguments next March on lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of President Obama's health care overhaul. The decision to hear the arguments in the spring sets up a decision that, regardless of the outcome, will rock the political landscape in the middle of a presidential campaign.

Below are the reactions of some prominent Republicans.

Presidential Candidate and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann:

"I am pleased that the Supreme Court has elected to finally hear challenges to Obamacare, and given that the central issue to be reviewed is an unprecedented expansion of the intended purpose of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, I urge the court to strike down the law and rule it unconstitutional. Furthermore, I call on President Obama and Congress to cease enforcement of the remaining provisions of Obamacare immediately until the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality.

"It is not the business of government, at either the state or federal level, to tell individual Americans to purchase any product or service. That's why, as president, I will not rest until the bill is completely repealed. I will replace it with a health care system that allows Americans to purchase health care individually across state lines, allows them to purchase the plan of their choice, reforms malpractice lawsuits, lowers the cost of health care for all Americans, and provides tax breaks for those who provide free health care to those who cannot afford it. We can't settle for a Republican nominee who believes that an individual health care mandate, the main issue of controversy before the court, is constitutional and either advocated for it, implemented it, or used it to justify a forced health care decision in their state."

===

Presidential Candidate and Texas Governor Rick Perry:

"The Supreme Court's decision to hear this case quickly is encouraging news for Texas, which faces massive cost explosions under Obamacare, and for Americans everywhere who don't want the federal government forcing them to buy specific goods and services. I'm hopeful the Supreme Court will confirm what other federal courts have already recognized: that Obamacare is an unprecedented overreach and an unconstitutional infringement upon individual liberties."

Texas and 25 other states have challenged the constitutionality of Congress' authority to force individuals to buy health insurance. This administration continues to spend excessively and impose unfunded mandates upon the states, including this federal health care reform bill that will cost Texas taxpayers more than $27 billion over 10 years for the Medicaid expansion starting in 2014.

===

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH):

"The American people did not support this law when it was rushed through Congress and they do not support it now that they've seen what's in it. In keeping with our Pledge to America, Republicans have voted to repeal and defund the law, and successfully repealed portions of it. This government takeover of health care is threatening jobs, increasing costs, and jeopardizing coverage for millions of Americans, and I hope the Supreme Court overturns it."

===

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus:

"The Supreme Court's decision to consider the constitutionality of ObamaCare offers Americans hope that we may soon be freed of the one size fits all mandates and regulations of this disastrous policy. Republicans recognize that ObamaCare's mandates are not only unconstitutional, but they also serve as a roadblock to economic recovery. Forced to take on additional costs, small businesses are unable to expand and hire new workers at a time when Americans desperately need jobs. "Hopefully, the Supreme Court will recognize ObamaCare as an egregious assault on states' rights. Then, America can focus on real market-based reforms that can expand coverage and lower costs."

===

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell:

"Across the country, courts continue to rule on cases challenging the constitutionality of the federal health care law, with differing conclusions coming from several circuits. Whether a federal mandate on every citizen to purchase health insurance violates the U.S. Constitution is a question that ultimately must be decided by the United States Supreme Court. That is why, nine months ago, Virginia requested that these suits be expedited for resolution by our nation's highest court. We are pleased that the Supreme Court has announced they will hear arguments from six of these cases during the current term.

I have long argued that this is an issue that will have an enormous impact on states, and one that demands finality as soon as possible. Each day that these cases remain unresolved means that states must spend more time and money to prepare for the expensive and burdensome requirements of the health care law, while uncertainty looms over its constitutionality.

Today's news that the Supreme Court will hear arguments, possibly as soon as March, is reassuring news that we will soon reach finality on this critically important issue. I am confident that the court will find that the act does overreach and is unconstitutional. I thank the U.S. Supreme Court for agreeing to hear arguments on the federal health care law during this current term."