Sen. Roberts: ‘Were the Books Cooked’ in CBO’s Early Estimates for ObamaCare?

‘And now the American people have to pick up the tab on the CBO’s errors’

Sen. Roberts: 'Were the Books Cooked' in CBO's Early Estimates for ObamaCare? (RealClearPolitics)

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS): CBO projections during the health care reform debate seemed to significantly underestimate the negative impact of Obamacare, and because of those projections, supporters were able to jam it through one vote. Everybody knows about that vote. And now the American people have to pick up the tab on the CBO's errors. Today, I am calling for hearings in the Finance Committee, upon which I sit, to demand CBO come before the committee and explain to Congress and the American people why and how its scores, which led to the passage of Obamacare, did not tell the whole story. This is about accountability for past actions, and we must ask the question, the difficult question, an unfortunate question. Was this political? Were the books cooked? CBO needs to take responsibility for the differences between their projections and the most recent updates just released as of this morning. We must have accurate estimates on the cost and benefits of the legislation so we can do our jobs. This shouldn't be about politics or gaming the system. This is about people's lives, and it's our responsibility to get that right. Let the hearings begin. Let the CBO provide answers. The CBO must answer this Congress and America.

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