President, GOP Spar Over Budget as ACA Hits 5 Years

Meanwhile, members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation are among those celebrating the success of Obamacare.

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The office of Mark Takai passed along a photo (below) of the U.S. representative with fellow Democrats Tuesday celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA and as Obamacare.

“Republicans continue to call for the complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Instead, we should all be working together to make changes that will successfully implement the law,” Takai said in a press release. “Millions of Americans have gained new access to quality, affordable health care coverage and also have such critical protections as no discrimination for having a pre-existing condition.”

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, meanwhile, tweeted out his thoughts on ACA: 


The praise for Obamacare comes as the White House is going on the offensive as Republicans in the House and Senate are moving forward on budget proposals that call for big cuts in spending — although perhaps not on defense.

Speaking about two competing proposals in the U.S. House, GOP Rep. Bill Flores (Texas) said, “I think that all of them are good budgets, and I think that they all address the defense issues. They all address the fiscal challenges that we have.”

The administration, which says the Republicans are still trying to kill the ACA, has issued talking points for the states regarding the GOP budget. Here are the ones for Hawaii:

  • 120 fewer children in Hawaii would have access to Head Start services.
  • Hawaii would receive $4.2 million less funding for disadvantaged students.
  • Hawaii would receive $1.1 million less funding to provide educational opportunities for students with disabilities.
  • 8,000 fewer Hawaii residents would receive job training and employment services.
  • Hawaii would receive $10.5 million less in federal funding.
  • Construction and renovation projects would be prevented or delayed at four national parks in Hawaii, including Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
U.S. House Democrats

U.S. Rep. Mark Takai

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