As I mentioned this morning, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna seemed to be among a group of attorneys general around the country who are vowing to take down the new health care bill through legal action. His office just confirmed this, issuing the following statement from McKenna:

I believe this new federal health care measure unconstitutionally imposes new requirements on our state and on its citizens. This unprecedented federal mandate, requiring all Washingtonians to purchase health insurance, violates the Commerce Clause and the 10th amendment of the US Constitution.

I’m concerned that the measure unconstitutionally requires all Washingtonians to purchase health insurance and places an extraordinary burden on our state budget by requiring Washington to expand its Medicaid eligibility standards in violation of our state’s rights guaranteed under the 10th amendment.