{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://cole.house.gov/obama-sold-america-false-claims", "Obama Sold America with False Claims", "2013-11-08", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Tom Cole", "C001053", "cole.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Even before passage of his healthcare law, President Obama promised numerous times, \u201cIf you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.\u201d But as millions of Americans have realized since the roll-out of Obamacare and its failed website, that is far from the truth. Now we\u2019re watching the president back up and try to find cover for misleading the country and selling something that never existed as it was presented. During a recent interview on NBC News with Chuck Todd, President Obama had to answer for his past promises. When asked about the millions of Americans whose individual health plans have been cancelled, the president replied, \u201cI regret that we weren\u2019t as clear as we needed to be in terms of the changes that were taking place.\u201d He further explained and attempted to apologize, \u201cI am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me. We\u2019ve got to work hard to make sure they know we hear them and that we\u2019re going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this.\u201d The president's \u201capology\u201d for misleading the American people about the consequences of Obamacare is too little, too late and too disingenuous to accept. He promised the American people that his law would provide plans that save families of four at least $2,500 on healthcare. Now families are expecting higher costs or losing plans that many already found satisfactory. We heard the president ensure the American people that Obamacare would be ready to go on October 1, but it wasn't. In fact, enrollment numbers are still so low after a month and a half that the Administration is scrambling to fix a broken product that never should have been sold to the American people. According to a recent article in the Daily Caller, healthcare economist Christopher Cononver estimated that \u201c68 percent of Americans with private health insurance will not be able to keep their plans.\u201d This has become a devastating reality for millions of Americans in recent days. Given that track record, why should Americans believe the president on Obamacare now? They cannot, they should not and they will not. While the uninsured might be better off with the passage of Obamacare, the majority of Americans who had insurance they liked are now needlessly suffering. In an attempt to be \u201cfair,\u201d the Administration is forcing the middle class (not just the rich) to pay more and receive less. Obamacare has always been a failure, and if it stays in place without modification, things will only get worse in the coming year. House Republicans warned the president that his law wasn't ready for primetime, and they voted numerous times to prevent, modify or, at the very least, delay its implementation. But the president resisted and criticized these efforts, he dismissed our concerns and demonized us every step of the way. Now he is reaping the consequences of his own policies. Sadly, so are the American people. It is time for the president to sit down with Republicans and work to reverse the consequences of his policies. Rather than force Americans to buy a broken product, we should pass legislation that allows everyone to keep their current coverage if it is what they prefer. We cannot and should not penalize those Americans who have good coverage. We must find real solutions, and until we are certain that the law can actually work, we should delay further implementation of Obamacare. Until then, the law will continue to be a disaster sold on a foundation of false promises and faulty policies. Saying 'sorry' isn't enough. The president must now work with both sides of the aisle to fix the failure of Obamacare. Regardless of his next steps, Americans are likely to be skeptical of any promises the president makes in the future and with good reason.", 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": ["http://cole.house.gov/obama-sold-america-false-claims"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.5115101598203182, "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"}