Congress succeeded in shutting down the federal government, but it wasn’t able to stop the Obamacare rollout.
The marquee feature of President Obama’s healthcare law took effect on Tuesday as planned, and uninsured Americans began signing up for health insurance through health centers and government websites. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said that the influx of customers caused the technical glitches that prevented some from enrolling.
“We have had a few slowdowns, a few glitches, but it’s sort of a great problem to have,” Sebelius said Tuesday on Andrea Mitchell Reports, citing high interest from customers.
She sharply criticized the faction of House Republicans who forced the government shutdown after their efforts to repeal Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, failed.
“A small group of one house of one body of Congress has decided to hijack the federal government,” Sebelius told host Andrea Mitchell. “They want to re-litigate the election.”
“Congress needs to do its job. Pass a budget, pass the debt ceiling, and then we’ll talk about priorities moving forward,” Sebelius said.
Watch Andrea Mitchell’s full interview with Secretary Sebelius here:
Erin Delmore