Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a fervent opponent of last year's health care law, said Tuesday that he had no plans to give up his own federally subsidized health plan, despite saying that others "standing on this principle" deserved some praise.
"I don't intend to pull off of it, but I give [incoming Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.)] a lot of credit for that," King said on CNN. "I went to Chicago to help him in the campaign, and I give him a lot of credit for standing on this principle."
Earlier Tuesday, Walsh reiterated his intention to forgo his congressional health care plan because he saw it as a conflict of interest in his battle against the Democratic health care law.
"My wife and I now are going to have to go through the struggles that a lot of Americans go through, trying to find insurance in the individual market and having to deal with problems of preexisting conditions," Walsh said.
ThinkProgress reports that Walsh is one of five representatives who opposed the law and have decided to reject their own government plans. In doing so, they have accepted a challenge from Democrats, who last year asked Republicans to "walk that walk" on turning down the type of "affordable health care" they say the overhaul bill makes more available to Americans.
WATCH (via ThinkProgress):