Marco Rubio - U.S. Senate - 2010

Miami, FL – U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio today issued the following statement regarding Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum’s lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama’s newly signed health care law:

“The health care debate that consumed Congress for the past year was a political nightmare that showed Washington at its worst and ultimately produced a plan that should have been scrapped months ago. Now that the President has signed his health care plan into law, two necessary battles shift to the states – one to elect a new generation of leaders committed to repealing it, and another to stop this unconstitutional overreach from being forced on the states.

“Charlie Crist has been inconsistent and equivocal on health care. First, he said he wouldn’t scrap the Democrat health care bill. Then he was silent on repealing it and has yet to sign a pledge to Floridians promising to do so. And although he is a former attorney general himself, until today, Charlie Crist had been curiously silent on legal steps our state should take to prevent this law from being forced on Floridians. On the other hand, Congressman Kendrick Meek was far from missing in action, having been on the front lines of the ObamaCare movement and enthusiastically helping this flawed plan become the law of the land.

“Believing that the ends justified the means, Democrats proved there was no price they weren’t willing to pay, even violating the U.S. Constitution through the imposition of an individual mandate that forces Floridians to obtain insurance or be penalized. The new law also demonstrates their contempt for the Tenth Amendment, as it empowers the federal government while diminishing powers reserved to states and individuals. The efforts of President Obama, Congressman Meek and their allies have now left states on the defensive to protect their citizens’ freedom.

“Here in Florida, I reiterate my months-old support for Attorney General Bill McCollum’s legal challenge to protect Floridians’ freedom. As Attorney General McCollum has noted, the law’s individual mandate is an unconstitutional and costly infringement on state sovereignty and individual freedom through its tax on individuals that don’t purchase insurance. I commend Attorney General McCollum and other attorneys general around the nation for taking matters into their own hands on this important issue. It’s truly unfortunate this is what the health care debate has come to.”

Rubio: “We cannot allow this debate to end now. I renew my pledge to undo this legislation and start over with common sense health care reforms.”

Miami, FL – U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio today launched a petition drive at http://www.marcorubio.com/repeal-it, urging voters to stand against Congressman Kendrick Meek, President Obama and the Democrat Congress by repealing the health care legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last night.

“Yesterday’s vote puts our great nation on a path away from the limited government principles that have America exceptional,” said Rubio. “Earlier this year, I pledged to support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover that eventually passed. I reiterate my strong support for repealing it when I get to Washington and offering alternative reforms to make health care more accessible and affordable.

“Kendrick Meek was wrong to vote for this policy, and Charlie Crist was wrong to believe it should not have been scrapped weeks ago,” added Rubio. “I urge Floridians to join me in supporting the repeal of this flawed plan. We cannot allow this debate to end now, and today I renew my pledge to undo this legislation and start over with common sense health care reforms.”

For more information, visit http://www.marcorubio.com/repeal-it