“Senator Johnson’s lawsuit is an unfortunate political stunt,” he said in a statement. “I am committed to repealing Obamacare, but the employer contribution he’s attacking is nothing more than a standard benefit that most private and all federal employees receive — including the president.”

Sensenbrenner continued, invoking a logic that seems strangely similar to that advanced by Wisconsin public employee unions in recent years:

“Success in the suit will mean that Congress will lose some of its best staff and will be staffed primarily by recent college graduates who are still on their parents’ insurance,” he said.

And in case any Republicans had any doubts that losing experienced Congressional staff would be such a bad thing, Sensenbrenner makes clear the implications: “This will make it even more difficult to fight the President and his older, more experienced staff.”

The actual issue at hand is confusing and the product of political grandstanding by both parties during the debate over Obamacare four years ago.