The recent comments by an architect of Obamacare have created real problems for supporters of the act as Republicans win sweeping elections and pledge to hold hearings to roll back some of its measures.

MIT economist and Affordable Care Act architect Jonathan Gruber created quite a stir recently when he attributed the success in pasting legislation for it to the “stupidity of the American voter.” The comments took place at an academic conference last year and is only just now becoming public, and Republicans are seizing on it as they seek to attack the ACA, according to the Boston Globe.

The GOP is sure to use it as justification for new hearings on the act and potentially repealing it, at least partially. The comments will give them fodder to argue that the American voter was lied to, and thus it deserves another look. Gruber himself may be called to testify, in what is likely to be quite the partisan spectacle on Capitol Hill.

Gruber said the remarks were “off the cuff,” but acknowledged he regretted making them. He said his essential point was that the Obama Administration had to convince the Congressional Budget Office not to list the individual mandate as a tax even though it essentially was, because anything couched as a tax increase would not be politically feasible. He also said the Obama Administration did not tell the public that healthy people would subsidize premiums for sick people under the ACA.

The firestorm that erupted was largely ignored by Gruber and the Obama Administration as it was largely confined to right-wing circles. However, it has lately become impossible to ignore, especially with Republicans now holding the reigns of power in both the House and Senate.

The scandal has also distracted from any of Obamacare’s successes. A New York Times report recently said that after a year in place, the ACA has largely succeeded in delivering on the president’s main promises, as the number of uninsured tumbled by about 25 percent, with several million more expected to sign up in the next few years.

However, the downsides include the fact that 30 million will remain uninsured despite the act. Republicans will seize on those downsides as they reexamine the issue in the coming months and years.