--- ---  # Mike Pence's Obamacare Tweet Came Back to Haunt Him ## 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 demandAlex 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. 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