Marco Rubio Praises Health Care Ruling, Calls for Senate to Back Repeal Measure

With Florida once again the center of political attention on Monday when federal Judge Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court in Pensacola struck down the federal health care law backed by President Barack Obama as unconstitutional, the Sunshine States congressional delegation broke on party lines in their reaction to the decision.

Florida Republicans -- including newly inaugurated U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio -- cheered the decision and urged the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate to follow the example of the Republican-controlled U.S. House to pass a measure repealing the law. While the House passed the repeal measure, it is not expected to pass the Senate.

Todays ruling marks an important step toward undoing a health care law that creates uncertainty for job creators, threatens Medicare as Floridians know it and lays the foundation for government-run health care, said Rubio. I commend Attorney General Pam Bondi for her leadership role in preventing Obamacares unconstitutional federal health insurance mandate from becoming a burden to Floridians. I also thank former Attorney General Bill McCollum for initiating this lawsuit under his watch.

Even before Obamacare passed, it was clear to the American people that this legislation should not become law, added Rubio.It was clear to the American people who stood up at town halls and ballot boxes across the country and voiced their opinions against it. It was clear to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which raised the very concerns about its constitutionality that the federal judge in Pensacola ruled on today.Unfortunately, none of these warning signs compelled Obamacares supporters to take a hard look at the error of their ways.

Obamacare was a mistake, insisted Rubio. However, we cannot leave this decision in the hands of judges alone. The Senate Democrat leadership should follow the Houses lead and hold an up-or-down vote to repeal Obamacare. The optimal outcome for Florida and the American people is to repeal the federal health care law and replace it with common-sense reforms that will lower health care costs and get more Americans insured.