Obama Signs Health Care Into Law
I am just back in my office in the basement of the White House. I was upstairs in the East Room as the President signed the health care reform bill into law.
The President was jubilant, the crowd was rowdy, chanting "Fired Up, Ready to Go!" at times. The late Sen. Ted Kennedy's widow, Vicki Kennedy was there for the signing. Afterwards, Obama worked the crowd, personally hugging or shaking hands with each member of Congress, it seemed.
The President said, "Today, after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied –- health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America."
After he signed the bill with 20 pens, that will be handed out to members of Congress as keepsakes, the bill is now law.
It expands health insurance for 32 million Americans, and it is the single biggest expansion of government since Medicare was passed into law in 1965.
As the bill became law, Attorneys General in 13 states filed lawsuits that challenge the constitutionality of the mandate that all Americans buy health insurance. You can check out a copy of the lawsuit here.
And House Minority Leader, John Boehner, wasn't in a celebratory mood. In a statement on his website, he said,
“This is a somber day for the American people. By signing this bill, President Obama is abandoning our founding principle that government governs best when it governs closest to the people. Americans have never felt more disconnected from their government than they do today."
