Tea Party Senate Caucus Leader Mike Lee on Health Care Ruling: "Congress Overstepped Its Authority"
Freshman Senator and Tea Party favorite Mike Lee (R-Utah) is one of the 47 senators who've signed on to co-sponsored Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-S.C.) bill to repeal the health care law signed by President Obama last year. Lee is also one of the founding members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus, along with Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and DeMint.
Lee, appearing on Washington Unplugged on Tuesday, said he remains hopeful that the Supreme Court will uphold Monday's ruling from Florida federal judge C. Roger Vinson that the health care law is "unconstitutional."
"I think it's somewhat likely that that will be the ruling in the Supreme Court," he told CBS News senior political producer Jill Jackson. "I think Congress overstepped it's authority under the Commerce Clause and the district judge ruled correctly to that effect and I think that is the most likely outcome at this point."
Jackson asked Lee if he thinks DeMint's legislation has chance of being voted on in the Senate, considering the Democrats' opposition.
Lee replied, "Senator McConnell has promised that we're going to get to a vote on this issue. I've learned that when he speaks with such certainty, he usually turns out to be right."
Lee continued, remaining optimistic, "There are people in the Senate who have concerns with this bill and I hope to get it to a vote and set the record about the fact that we as Americans don't want issues like this being crammed down our throats from Washington."
Watch the full interview above, where Lee also talks about the debt limit, Egypt and possible 2012 GOP contender Jon Huntsman.
