Eleven Republican members of Congress have stepped into an ongoing legal battle over the Affordable Care Act, filing an amicus brief in support of one company's fight against the preventative services mandate.
The brief, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, argues that the mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) by requiring health insurance with plans that include coverage for contraception.
Hobby Lobby, a Christian-owned chain of stores based in Oklahoma, continues to challenge the mandate in court. The brief from nine senators and two representatives says the Department of Health and Human services ignored the RFRA when formulating a narrow religious exemption at the outset, "and have only begun to attend to its requirements because of litigation and the reaction to public scrutiny."
"As one of the lead sponsors of RFRA, it's deeply troubling to see this White House trample on the religious freedom the law seeks to protect," Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in a written statement.
In addition to Hatch, the brief was signed by senators Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), and Representatives Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), and Frank Wolf (R-Va.).
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