{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355995", "The Shut Down Strategy and Obamacare \u2013 Idahoans Deserve the Truth", "2013-10-21", "2013", "2013-10", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Mike Simpson", "S001148", "simpson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cYou may be hearing more and more from people in Idaho and some in Washington D.C. who would like you to believe that I support Obamacare.\u00a0 They are attempting to reinvent my longstanding position opposed to the law, and are painting my vote to end the government shutdown as implicit support for a law I have consistently opposed.\u00a0 They should be held accountable for those comments.\r\n\u201cThis is a sad distraction. You deserve honesty from your elected officials.\r\n\u201cThe simple fact is the only disagreement between Republicans over the last few weeks has been over strategy, not policy. Every Republican is united in opposition to government run health care.\u00a0 I ultimately opposed the strategy of shutting down the government and threatening the U.S. credit to continue a fight without a possible resolution. \r\n\u201cFor these people now labeling me inconsistent, it wasn\u2019t about winning, it was about the fight. \r\n\u201cIt isn\u2019t about putting up a fight, because in the end we lost this fight. It is about winning. I want to win. I want Obamacare repealed, forever. The truth is the only way to get rid of Obamacare is to win elections.\u00a0 And shutting down the government and alienating voters will not help repeal Obamacare.\u00a0 Not surprisingly, Republican support in almost every national poll has shown a significant decline in recent weeks. \r\n\u201cIdahoans expect their elected officials to do more than throw political bombs and tear down their opponents. They want to hear realistic solutions to the problems facing the country. The health care crisis is real, and more than that, health care is not just an economic issue, it is a personal issue. It impacts all of our lives.\u00a0 Unfortunately, we have seen a shift in this country away from patient centered care, toward government controlled care that limits our options.\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve laid out my vision for a health care system many times. It starts with full repeal of Obamacare.\u00a0 Idahoans won\u2019t be fooled by attempts to paint me as supportive of something I have voted to repeal or reform 42 times. Once Obamacare is gone we will spur competition by allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines and pooling of plans by small businesses, reform medical malpractice laws \u2013 also known as tort reform, protect those with pre-existing conditions, and expand Health Savings Accounts.\u00a0 \r\n\u201cThe simple fact is Obamacare will remain as long as President Obama is in office or Harry Reid holds the Senate.\u00a0 Now is not the time to play politics with health care.\u00a0Now is not the time to eat our own, now is the time to come together to lay out a vision for more accessible, affordable, and personalized health care. Let\u2019s get to work.\u201d", 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://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=355995"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9007039479911327, "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"}