--- title: Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him description: Vice President Mike Pence, then a congressman from Indiana, leveled criticism Obamacare that has come back to haunt him. canonical: https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/ author: Emma Talkoff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-20T15:12:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:14.838Z article:section: Politics og:title: Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him og:description: "It's simply wrong for legislation to be negotiated behind closed doors." og:url: https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69aafdac41ead24b/6988ced08fd2eeb306357352/persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him twitter:description: "It's simply wrong for legislation to be negotiated behind closed doors." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69aafdac41ead24b/6988ced08fd2eeb306357352/persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him > Sponsored content. 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It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d22bd44d-a7f1-463b-b7a0-7c5271bd6d2a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 85,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 37.0% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Mike Pence Says Repealing Obamacare is "First Order Of Business" [Watch (HLS stream): Mike Pence Says Repealing Obamacare is "First Order Of Business"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cfyTSIWL.m3u8) (0:55)  _Published 2017-01-04. Donald Trump’s “first order of business” will be to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law and replace it, but Republicans must avoid hurting consumers as they do that, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Wednesday._ by [Emma Talkoff](https://time.com/author/emma-talkoff/) ## Emma Talkoff Jun 20, 2017 3:12 PM UTC  More than almost anyone in Trump’s circle, Pence is in demand More than almost anyone in Trump’s circle, Pence is in demand Alex Brandon—AP by [Emma Talkoff](https://time.com/author/emma-talkoff/) ## Emma Talkoff Jun 20, 2017 3:12 PM UTC Democratic Senators [stayed late on the floor](http://time.com/4824687/health-care-senate-speeches-democrats/?xid=homepage) last night to lambast the health care bill being drafted by a small group of Republicans. A common refrain: the drafting process has been far too secretive, with some senators calling it “shameful” and “absurd.” But in 2009-10, when the Affordable Care Act was up for vote, the tables were turned. Vice President Mike Pence, then a congressman from Indiana, leveled an identical criticism against the work on the bill that came to be known as Obamacare. “It’s simply wrong for legislation that’ll affect 100% of the American people to be negotiated behind closed doors,” Pence tweeted on January 13, 2010. > [](https://twitter.com/GovPenceIN/status/7720153887) While the criticisms closely mirror each other, there have been notable differences between the two processes. The Affordable Care Act was reviewed in a number of bipartisan public hearings and 25 days of floor debate, while its proposed replacement has been kept largely under wraps. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/"},"headline":"Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him","datePublished":"2017-06-20T15:12:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:14.838Z","description":"Vice President Mike Pence, then a congressman from Indiana, leveled criticism Obamacare that has come back to haunt him.","url":"https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/","keywords":["Mike Pence","Health Care","Obamacare","Social Media","Congress","Affordable Care Act","White House","twitter","ACA","Donald Trump","AHCA"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69aafdac41ead24b/6988ced08fd2eeb306357352/persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emma Talkoff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/emma-talkoff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt69aafdac41ead24b/6988ced08fd2eeb306357352/persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence","caption":"persistent-passion-vice-president-mike-pence","creditText":"Alex Brandon—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mike-pence/","name":"Mike Pence"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/","name":"Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Mike Pence Says Repealing Obamacare is \"First Order Of Business\"","description":"Donald Trump’s “first order of business” will be to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law and replace it, but Republicans must avoid hurting consumers as they do that, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Wednesday.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/cfyTSIWL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-01-04T17:23:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cfyTSIWL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/","duration":"PT55S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4825068/mike-pence-tweet-health-care/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```