By Elise Viebeck - 10-27-13 11:02 AM ET
A Republican senator called Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius the "laughingstock of America" after she was lampooned on "Saturday Night Live."
The sketch, which aired Saturday, poked fun at Sebelius's attempts to downplay serious problems with ObamaCare's enrollment website.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) referred to the skit Sunday during an appearance on ABC's "This Week."
"She's lost considerable credibility," Barrasso said of Sebelius. "She's the laughingstock of America."
Sebelius has experienced a wave of scrutiny since HealthCare.gov debuted with major problems on Oct. 1.
She has also drawn fire for certain public comments, like saying she did not know how many people had enrolled under ObamaCare during an interview with Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.
Sebelius also said last week that she "does not work" for people calling for her resignation.
The health secretary was the target of several Republican attacks during the Sunday shows, just a few days before she appears before a House committee to talk about the rollout.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), a leader on the panel that will host Sebelius, said the former governor will testify on Wednesday before she's "out the door."
But the secretary received a defense from Sen. Joe Manchin (W-Va.), a Democrat who is leading the charge to delay ObamaCare's individual mandate.
Manchin flatly denied that Sebelius should leave office and praised her record as Kansas insurance commissioner and governor.
"She's very capable of bringing people together," Manchin told ABC. "I think she … will get the job done."
No comments:
Post a Comment