Pawlenty suggests he may assert state’s rights if health care bill passes
In a conference call tonight, Gov. Pawlenty suggested that he may assert state sovereignty to keep Minnesota from fully participating in a health care plan that could be passed by Congress and signed by President Obama.
The Tenth Amendment says "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
In a Thursday night conference call hosted by the Republican Governor's Association, a caller asked whether governors would invoke state's rights if the health care bill is passed. Pawlenty said it's a possibility.
"Depending on what the federal government comes out with here, asserting the 10th Amendment may be a viable option but we don't know the details. As one of the other callers said, we can't get the other callers, we said we can't get the President to outline what he does or doesn't support in any detail. So we'll have to see, I would have to say that it's a possibility."
Pawlenty also said he hoped Republican governors across the country will get "more assertive" about addressing state's rights and possibly start suing the federal government.
You can listen to the question and Pawlenty's full answer here:
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