{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=52b185b0-eee9-43f7-bbcf-cb0ca6563441", "Senator Roberts Meets with Republican Senators-Elect; Renews Commitment to Repealing Obamacare", "2014-11-12", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Pat Roberts", "R000307", "www.roberts.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today met with the newly elected members of the United States Senate. \u00a0After the orientation meeting, Senator Roberts released the following statement renewing his commitment to full repeal of Obamacare.\r\n\u201cThis is an inspiring group of newly elected Senators, and I\u2019m looking forward to working alongside my new Republican colleagues to break the gridlock and deliver commonsense, conservative solutions for our country,\u201d Senator Roberts said after the meeting.\r\n\u201cMy first priority in the new Republican Senate is to repeal and replace Obamacare, a priority I know is shared by many of my newly elected colleagues,\u201d Roberts continued. \u201cObamacare is crushing our employers and driving up costs for patients.\u00a0 Just this week, many Americans are learning that the second year of Obamacare coverage will bring premium increases of nearly ten percent.\u00a0 \r\n\u201cFacts are stubborn things, and the fact is Obamacare has failed to live up to its paramount promise of reducing costs for patients. We must repeal Obamacare and start over, and I look forward to doing just that in the new Republican Senate Majority.\u201d\r\nBackground\r\n \r\nThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) says health care premiums will jump by nearly 7 percent this year. (cms.gov)\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\n \r\nPricewaterhouseCoopers estimates premiums in exchange plans will\u00a0increase\u00a0by an average of 8 percent next year.\u00a0 PWC estimates Kansas premiums will increase by more than 15 percent. (pwc.com)\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\n \r\nThis week reports broke that an Obama Administration official credited the lack of transparency and the \u201c\u2018stupidity of the American voter\u201d for the passage of Obamacare. (Washington Post, November 11, 2014)\r\n \r\nSenator Roberts is the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and is a senior member of the two committees with jurisdiction on health care \u2013 the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.\r\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=52b185b0-eee9-43f7-bbcf-cb0ca6563441"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.468339003622532, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}