In Congress, ruling reaction reflects partisan divide
WASHINGTON - Rep. Bill Pascrell (D., N.J.), held his arms up like a victorious boxer. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) tweeted a photo of himself and President Obama, taken as the president savored a spoonful of Italian ice. "America Wins! Obamacare Wins!" read the caption.
WASHINGTON - Rep. Bill Pascrell (D., N.J.), held his arms up like a victorious boxer.
Rep. Chaka Fattah (D., Pa.) tweeted a photo of himself and President Obama, taken as the president savored a spoonful of Italian ice. "America Wins! Obamacare Wins!" read the caption.
Both were among the Philadelphia-area Democrats who gleefully celebrated a Supreme Court victory Thursday that preserved a critical plank of the Affordable Care Act, one of Obama's signature accomplishments.
"Affordable health care should be available to everyone in our country on the same basis.When you get past the legalese, that's something that I think almost every American should be able to agree with," Fattah said in an interview. "This is a great day for those who want a healthier country."
Republicans, meanwhile, blasted the decision - but without a consensus on what to do now that another attempt to kill the law has failed.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) said the ruling "does not change the fundamental fact that Obamacare is inflicting widespread damage on our economy and our health care system."
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) said the health law is "fundamentally broken" and vowed to keep pushing to repeal and replace it.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) made no such promises. Instead, he said the law's supporters can either "crow" or try to fix a law "that continues to make life miserable for too many of the same people it purported to help."
The partisan divide on the long-awaited ruling was stark.
Gov. Wolf, a Democrat in his first term, said the decision will help roughly 382,000 Pennsylvanians keep aid that helps them pay for health coverage. In New Jersey, senators said the number was about 172,000.
"The Supreme Court has made clear once and for all that the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and is here to stay," Sen. Bob Menendez (D, N.J.) said in a statement.
Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Republican senator now running for president, said the decision shows the need to elect a conservative president.
"I will be committed to repealing the monstrosity of Obamacare and replacing it with a patient-centered program that puts people first, not the government," Santorum said in a statement.
But Rep. Tom MacArthur (R., N.J.), said that while he would like to see the law replaced, "the court has ruled - and my view is you move forward at this point."
MacArthur, of South Jersey, said he would focus on improving a law that he blames for making health care more expensive.
"To sit here and do nothing and just cry about how bad it is, I think that fails the American people," he said in an interview.
Pascrell, a fellow New Jerseyan, predicted more challenges from Republicans.
"A rational human being would change," he said. "These guys? You're asking too much."
@JonathanTamari