Sen. Toomey Comments On The Issues With The Affordable Care Act

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Chris Stigall spoke with Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey this morning on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about problems with the rollout and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Click below to listen to the podcast...

"The CBO comes out and announces that based on their analysis, within a decade we have two-and-a-half-million fewer people working as a direct result of Obamacare," Toomey said, discussing a report from the Congressional Budget Office. "This is not shocking. If you raise the cost of working, fewer people will work; if you create huge incentives for employers not to hire workers, some of them will not hire workers."

Toomey was especially distressed by what he says was the reaction of the Obama administration, saying, "[they're] suggesting we should be thrilled about this. Where have we gotten to in America where the federal government thinks it's a good idea to create incentives to encourage people to remain poor, rather than work hard and advance themselves? How did we get the idea that it's a good idea for the government to create incentives for people not to work at all…how did this ever happen? This is mind-boggling."

Stigall asked the Senator his thoughts on the President's suggestion in his State of the Union Address that employers give their employees a raise.

"This has been the most divisive President in the history of the Republic as far as I'm aware, pitting one group of Americans against another for political advantage. It's a terrible thing," Toomey replied.

Toomey also agreed with Stigall that Republicans should focus on the problems with the Affordable Care Act, instead of issues like comprehensive immigration reform, if they want to make election gains in November and perhaps capture the Senate, saying Senate Democrats, "realize their only hope – politically, their only hope -- of getting through this election year is to 'change the subject.'"