From Attorney General Rob McKenna:

The U.S. Department of Justice today filed its motion to dismiss the constitutional challenge to the federal health care act brought by Washington and 19 states, the National Federation of Independent Business, and persons affected by the individual mandate.

Attorney General Rob McKenna issued the following statement in response:

“The Justice Department’s motion today demonstrates that the federal government views this lawsuit as a serious threat. Nothing in this motion changes the states’ view that we will prevail.

This lawsuit challenges the individual mandate as a direct tax or penalty that violates the U.S. Constitution. We further charge that the federal government is jeopardizing state sovereignty with this unprecedented expansion of federal powers, putting tremendous pressure on already strained state budgets and forcing states to either raise taxes or cut other vital programs to meet these added demands.

Read the Rest…