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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> Swann, Lanier (McConnell)
[mailto:Lanier_Swann@mcconnell.senate.gov] <BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 10,
2012 5:01 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Swann, Lanier (McConnell)<BR><B>Subject:</B>
McConnell Comments on Revised White House Mandate<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=WordSection1>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><IMG
id=Picture_x0020_1
alt="Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CCCB00.34F8F070"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01CCE815.6E230D90" width=576 height=98></SPAN></B><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">For Immediate
Release, February 10, 2012<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Contacts: Don
Stewart, Michael Brumas 202-224-2979, Robert Steurer, Pam Nichols
202-224-8288<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: red; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 22pt">McConnell Comments on
Revised White House Mandate<o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">‘This
whole episode demonstrates why politicians should not be the ones to make
determinations about religious beliefs and is just another reason why the deeply
flawed health law needs to be repealed. Whether it is forcing people to buy
government-chosen health insurance, or injecting Washington’s oversight into
nearly every aspect of people’s lives, the Obama administration clearly believes
that the Constitution is an inconvenience, not a guiding principle, in their
implementation of the health law.’<o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">LOUISVILLE,
KY</SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">.
– U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell released the following statement
today regarding the Obama administration’s attempt to retreat from its mandate
in the health care law that would violate the First Amendment rights of
religious institutions:<SPAN style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">“While
the White House is trying to walk away from its original mandate, one thing this
debate has made perfectly clear is that the administration believes the
Constitution takes a back seat to its ideological goals. They’re not sorry
they violated the First Amendment, they’re sorry Americans didn’t agree with
them when they did. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">“The
administration promised during debate on the health care law that constitutional
rights would not be infringed and that costs would go down; we now know that’s
not true. So it’s understandable that affected institutions still have serious
questions and concerns about this latest promise from the White House. Remember,
this isn’t about accounting—it’s about the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of
Rights. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">“This
whole episode demonstrates why politicians should not be the ones to make
determinations about religious beliefs and is just another reason why the deeply
flawed health law needs to be repealed. Whether it is forcing people to buy
government-chosen health insurance, or injecting Washington’s oversight into
nearly every aspect of people’s lives, the Obama administration clearly believes
that the Constitution is an inconvenience, not a guiding principle, in their
implementation of the health law. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">“The
only good news to come out of this is that Americans have shown once again that
they are willing to fight back against a government that attempts to infringe on
their constitutional rights.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">###<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Cambria','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'">_______________________</SPAN></B><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><B><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Lanier
Swann</SPAN></B><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Policy
Advisor</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Office of the Republican
Leader</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Senator Mitch
McConnell</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">S-230,
Capitol</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Sylfaen','serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">202.224.3135</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>