GOP Congressman Calls White House Celebration Over Health Care Bill ‘Irresponsible’

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher said Monday that it was “irresponsible” for members of his party to celebrate at the White House after their health care bill passed the House last week.

Gallagher, who voted for the bill, criticized members of both parties for “using issues like this to raise money or just a way to get in power,” noting that Democrats chanted and taunted Republicans on the House floor after the vote, suggesting they would lose their seats in the midterm elections.

“They were celebrating the vote going forward because they feel like it allowed them to get an electoral advantage and, honestly, the Republicans who went to celebrate at the White House — I disagree with that approach,” Gallagher said Monday in an interview on a local Wisconsin radio show.

“What are we celebrating? We haven’t passed a bill into law. The Senate’s gonna re-write this thing. I’ve never seen the Packers pop the champagne at halftime. I just think that’s irresponsible. And so I just would urge both sides to just lay down the traditional kind of political weapons if we can because this is a really complex topic and we need serious people working together to fix it.”