Healthcare Marketplace Deadline Extension Questioned by John Boehner; Speaker Calls Obama's Program 'A Joke'

House Speaker John Boehner questioned the White House's delay on President Barack Obama's signature health care program this week.

Boehner chastised sharply the administration's decision to push back the sign up deadline for healthcare.gov, Politico reported.

"What the hell is this? A joke?" Boehner said. "Another deadline made meaningless. If he hasn't put enough loopholes in the law already, the administration is now resorting to an honor system to enforce it."

A two-week extension for citizens who have not yet signed up for health care was announced Tuesday, according to Politico. The original deadline was set for March 31.

In Boehner's eyes, this move demonstrated the President's attempts to sidestep the legislation without gaining clearance from Congress on lengthening the deadline.

"The law says that enrollment ends at the end of March," the Ohio Republican continued. "This is what the law says. I have to live by the law...and guess what, the president needs to live by the law as well."

The White House reportedly extended the sign up date after seeing an uptick in the number of people enrolling in healthcare. At least five million have registered in the exchanges, but that's two million short of the number the Administration initially aimed for.

"Open enrollment ends March 31," spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services Joanne Peters told Politico. "We are experiencing a surge in demand and are making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment - either online or over the phone."

Republicans have criticized the Affordable Care Act - and its subsequent issues - since its conception almost two years ago. A number of failed rollouts in October, low enrollment numbers and now, the deadline extension, have all been under heavy scrutiny by GOPers.

Boehner told Politico that Republican legislators were working on some alternatives to Affordable Care, but didn't specify exactly what they might entail.

"Our goal is to show the American people what we believe would work better," he said. "I believe we will. We'll continue to roll them out as we develop them."