WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14) today responded to the decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act:
“Today, I’m disappointed for America. This entire law goes against American principles.
“Actions have consequences, we all know that. In this case the court has ruled that the government can tax you not only for choosing an action- moving to a certain neighborhood, earning a certain amount, or having a certain number of dependents- but for choosing inaction. This is unprecedented.
“Should we levy a special tax on individuals who don’t give to charity? Should we penalize families that don’t buy American built cars? As Chief Justice John Roberts points out, under this theory, the government could address the diet problem by ordering people to buy vegetables.
“To be clear, this is just one of many new taxes in the Affordable Care Act, which included over $525 billion in new taxes. Average family insurance premiums expected to increase by $2,100. 20 million Americans could lose their employer-sponsored healthcare. Worst of all, the employer mandate could destroy as many as 1.6 million jobs.
“This is a tax increase cloaked as healthcare reform. In this economic environment, I think that’s a shame.”
