Obama Thumbs Nose At Supreme Court; Appropriates $500 Million For Obamacare
Deciding not to wait until the Supreme Court rules on whether or not his health plans for the United States are lawful, Barack Obama has directed the government to divert $500 million to help the IRS implement his plans.
In spite of this mounting opposition, the Obama administration has forged ahead. The White House has moved aggressively to get important policies in place. According to a review of budget documents and figures provided by congressional staff, the administration is also tearing through implementation funding provided in the healthcare law.
The move is happening outside of the normal appropriation process.
The money being set aside for health care reform is being provided outside the normal appropriations process. The Internal Revenue Service is responsible for several key provisions of the new law, including the unpopular individual mandate.
The Government Accountability Office has said the transfers are perfectly legal and consistent with how agencies have used general implementation funds in the past. The $1 billion fund was set aside for "federal" implementation activities, the GAO said, and can therefore be used by any agency - not just HHS, where the money is housed.
The administrations plans will be complete by September.
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