The Obama Report

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has exempted some of his staff from having to purchase health insurance through the Obamacare exchanges, news media outlets reported on Wednesday, despite having said in September that senate staff members would join the Obamacare exchanges because, "That's what the law says."

"Let's stop these really juvenile political games — the one dealing with health care for senators and House members and our staff," Reid told Reporters in September. "We are going to be part of exchanges, that's what the law says and we'll be part of that."

Technically, congressional committee staffers and leadership staffers - unlike ordinary congressional staffers - can be exempted from joining the health care exchanges due to a loophole in the law that allows these exemptions. But Reid's statement in September was clearly mendacious.



Sen. Ted Cruz issued a statement regarding Reid's decision to exempt staff members from the Obamacare exchanges:

"Sen. Reid's decision to exempt his staff from Obamacare exchanges is the clearest example yet of Obamacare's failures and Washington hypocrisy," Cruz said. "[Reid's] staff worked to pass it and continue to promote it, now they don't want to be part of it because it's a disaster. No one wants to lose their plans, pay higher premiums, higher deductibles, and have healthcare choices taken away from them. But, by passing Obamacare that’s exactly what Leader Reid and his staff did to millions of Americans. Now they understandably don't want to live with it. The only fair path forward is to repeal Obamacare, in its in entirety, for everyone."