MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) – US House of Representatives passed the resolution allowing to file a lawsuit against president Barack Obama accusing country’s leader of exceeding his authority in carrying out the healthcare reform, Reuters reported Thursday.
According to the agency, 225 lawmakers supported the initiative while 201 voted against it.
Republicans, who currently control the lower house of US Congress, blame Obama for overstepping his authority by making unilateral changes to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The opposition insists that the president should not have pursued his policies by issuing decrees while Congress was highly skeptical about the healthcare reform. Obama in turn cited the White House lawyers who claim that the decrees in question fully comply with the president’s authority.
US leader earlier strongly criticized the House of Representatives for the initiative to file a lawsuit against him. According to Obama, Congress is not performing its duties, sabotaging the reforms that country needs. Amid the ongoing standoff between the president and Congress, Obama’s popularity among his voters went down to the record low 40 percent, while only 13 percent of Americans approve of Congress’ actions.
Obamacare, officially called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, was signed into law by President Obama in 2010 to provide millions of uninsured Americans with health insurance. The program aimed to increase the quality and affordability of insurance coverage and reduce the cost of healthcare.
