King: Obama Ignores Medicare Law, Puts Seniors at Risk
Washington, DC - Congressman Steve King released the following statement today after President Obama, for the fourth year in a row, ignored his legal requirement to produce a plan to strengthen Medicare. Under current law, when the Medicare Trustees issue a warning about Medicare's future solvency (as they have for six consecutive years), the President must submit a proposal to Congress to address such warning within 15 days of submitting his budget. President Obama submitted his Fiscal Year 2013 budget request on February 13, 2012. By failing to submit a Medicare proposal, President Obama is in clear violation of the law.
"We know we cannot expect leadership from President Obama on important budget issues, but the American people at least have the right to expect their elected representatives to adhere to their oaths of office and their most basic legal duties," said King. "This week the President ignored his legal obligation to put forward a Medicare proposal, just as Senate Democrats have ignored their annual legal responsibility to put forward a budget for the last three years."
Current seniors, as well as the millions of working Americans paying payroll taxes, have the right to expect their elected representatives to take steps to ensure that important programs like Medicare do not collapse. The Medicare Trustees have confirmed the trust fund will be bankrupt by 2024. By signing ObamaCare into law, Obama cut half a trillion dollars from Medicare. Current and long-standing law requires him to propose to Congress a fix to the very problem he created. The House of Representatives has taken action to protect Medicare for current beneficiaries and strengthen it for future generations by repealing ObamaCare and proposing real reforms to strengthen Medicare. In contrast, President Obama and his liberal allies have determined it is to their political advantage to ignore the law, not put forward their own ideas, and criticize and misrepresent Republican efforts to strengthen Medicare."
###
