President Obama's spokesman refused to say if the president would veto a repeal of the mandate that even religious institutions provide contraception to their employees.

"Well, I think there's a lot of speculation embedded in that question and I'm not going to go there," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said when asked if Obama would veto a repeal bill promised by Republican congressional leadership. "We are committed, the president is committed, to ensuring that woman have access to contraception without any extra cost, regardless of where they work."

Carney added that Obama is aware of the religious liberty objection to the mandate. "He is very sensitive to concerns like these," Carney said. "He wants to find a way to implement it that can allay some of the concerns expressed."