BY BRIAN HUGHES, Washington Examiner
Senior administration officials, in damage control over a report showingObamacare would eliminate 2.5 million full-time jobs over the next decade, sought to refute claims Tuesday that President Obama’s signature domestic achievement would harm the economy.
A new report from the Congressional Budget Office, an independent scorekeeper, found that Obamacare would reduce the number of full-time employees by 2.5 million people by 2024.
Republicans immediately pounced on the study to argue that Obamacare was a jobs-killer — a message Democrats are trying to shake off ahead of challenging midterm elections.
Aware of the political liability, the White House put out a statement on the report, held a background briefing on its findings and defended the health law in the daily briefing with reporters.
A senior administration official argued the study proved that Obamacare “won’t cause businesses to dramatically cut back on jobs” — but that “workers would choose to supply a different amount of labor.”
According to the report, Obamacare will reduce the total number of hours worked by 1.5 to 2 percent between the years 2017 and 2024. The agency said the change is “almost entirely” because workers will choose to work less.
Still, the CBO report gives conservatives ample fodder to portray the Affordable Care Act both as damaging to the economy and unpopular with most Americans.
Read more at the Washington Examiner.
