The Obama administration has filed court documents claiming the lawsuit filed by House Republicans challenging the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act contains "incoherent" legal theory and should be thrown out, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In its court filing, the administration called the lawsuit "novel and unprecedented" and said, "If the House is unhappy with the executive branch, lawmakers can pass new legislation addressing their concerns, but they can't seek to air their political grievances in the court," according to the report.
In November 2014, House Republicans filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration alleging President Barack Obama gave $175 billion to insurance companies in violation of the law. In April 2014, the Congressional Budget Office predicted the administration would pay $175 million to insurance companies over the next 10 years in the form of subsidies to help low- and middle-income people pay their health insurance premiums. However, those funds have not been appropriated by Congress, and the lawsuit argues the president is unlawfully transferring the funds.
The lawsuit also calls into question whether the administration had the authority to delay the PPACA's employer mandate in January 2013.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been the force behind the lawsuit, and his spokesman told The Journal, "We expected this response from the Obama administration. Congress will continue to fight for the Constitution, and against the president's efforts to unilaterally re-write his healthcare law, which is raising costs and costing jobs."
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