The following joint letter was sent today by 17 prominent free market groups supporting House efforts this week to delay Obamacare's employer and individual mandates.  Here's a PDF of the letter.  The content and signers are below:

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals stand united in our support for a delay in Obamacare’s employer mandate and individual mandate.

On July 2, 2013, the Obama Administration announced a one-year delay in the employer mandate.  Changing any statute's effective date is in the purview of the U.S. Congress, not the Executive Branch.  While it is highly questionable whether the Obama Administration has the legal authority to delay the employer mandate, their admission that the Obamacare law is unworkable is all too accurate.

Unfortunately, this accommodation was provided only for Big Businesses.  We believe that individuals, small businesses, and families deserve at least the same reprieve from Obamacare’s costly mandates.  If the employer mandate can be delayed a year, so can (and should) the individual mandate, which adversely affects individuals, families and small business owners.

That’s why we’re supportive of efforts this week in the House of Representatives to delay for one year both the employer and individual mandates.

We view this effort as not only a matter of basic fairness, but part and parcel of our larger efforts to defund and repeal Obamacare.  We support full Obamacare repeal and full de-funding of Obamacare, as well as the mandate delay efforts the House is undertaking this week.

Sincerely,

 

Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform

Dean Clancy, Freedom Works

Heather Higgins, Independent Women’s Voice

Jenny Beth Martin, Tea Party Patriots

Amy Kremer, Tea Party Express

Duane Parde, National Taxpayers Union

Grace-Marie Turner, Galen Institute

Phil Kerpen, American Commitment

John Tate, Campaign for Liberty

Jim Martin, 60 Plus Association

Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring

Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America

George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom

Ken Hoagland, Restore America’s Voice

Kathryn Serkes, Doctor-Patient Medical Association

Christopher Wright, Obamacare Truth Squad

Chris Prandoni, Alliance for Worker Freedom

Alexandria Tea Party

Brian Baker, Ending Spending

Dr. Juliette Madrigal-Dersch, American Association of Physicians and Surgeons