NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Texas Republican Rep. Michael Burgess told The Daily Caller that he wanted to bring up the health-care law in President Obama’s meeting with House Republicans last week but was unable to ask Obama about the issue since questioners were “pre-selected.”
“I wasn’t called on. They had pre-selected the people who were going to ask questions. I guess someone made those decisions,” Burgess told TheDC at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
When asked who picked the individuals, Burgess responded, “Honestly, I don’t know. I assume it was the House conference that made the decision who got to ask a question.”
Burgess, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, blasted the Obama administration for leaving the nation’s governors in the dark about the implementation of the health-care law and refusing to testify before House committees about the process.
“The least contentious I can be right now is, you’ve got this big deal that you’re fixing to roll out, it’s all supposed to go live Oct. 1. I have not seen any evidence that the agencies are actually capable of doing that. They won’t come into the committees and talk about it,” Burgess said.
“So reassure me Mr. President: Are you going to be able to get this darn thing done? Or are people going to be left in the lurch on Oct. 1?”
Burgess, a medical doctor, said “the exchanges, the informatics piece” and “the Medicaid expansion” are not on track to be implemented in a timely fashion.
“They’re just way behind on their implementation strategy and it’s their own darn fault. They played hide the ball before the election. They wouldn’t tell the governors what the rules were going to be,” he said.
“Remember, the essential benefit rule was released two days after Election Day and then since then it’s just been a torrent of regulations. No one can keep up with it. No one can evaluate all the stuff that’s coming out.”