Reaction Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) To Withdrawal Of The Trumpcare Bill From The House Floor
Friday, March 24, 2017
“There are many clear and compelling lessons to be drawn from the ashes of this sad and botched episode. I hope Republican leaders will set aside the Hastert Rule – under which all legislation is only passed with Republican votes – and actually let all of the people’s elected representatives take part in forging actual solutions for improving health care and the ability of all Americans to have solid, practical, good-quality and affordable health insurance.
“A decade ago, before the Affordable Care Act, American health care was in crisis. More than 40 million Americans were uninsured, with numbers projected to rise further if reforms weren’t made. Americans with debilitating conditions were priced out of care, and insurance companies regularly discriminated against families and individuals, such as charging women more for plans. The ACA reversed these trends, and today 90 percent of Americans have health insurance, the highest rate ever.
“The President and leaders of the Majority have made it their mission to unravel these gains and return us to a broken system. Instead of working to improve the ACA, they have sought to destroy reforms that are saving lives and giving millions of families a level of health security that was out of their reach before the ACA. ‘Because we said we would’ is not a good enough reason to vote for a bill that leaves tens of millions of Americans in the lurch.
“The Trumpcare plan was a lie to the American people, and people are beginning to see that. In the guise of a health care bill, this actually was a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans. Worse still, it would pay for these tax cuts on the backs of Medicaid patients and low-income seniors. Under this plan, 24 million Americans would have lost their health insurance. Others would be forced to pay far more for the health care they need.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) released the following statement Friday after House Republican leaders pulled legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act from consideration on the House floor:
"The defeat of the disastrous Trump-Ryan health care bill is a major victory for the working families of this country and for the hundreds of thousands who attended rallies and town hall meetings in opposition to this bill. What the defeat of this bill shows is that the American people will not accept legislation that provides huge tax breaks to billionaires while 24 million people are kicked off their health insurance, massive cuts are made to Medicaid and Planned Parenthood and premiums for senior citizens are dramatically increased. Our job is to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it. Our job is to guarantee health care to all people as a right, not a privilege."
Today, Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) released the following statement:
“I am relieved that the Trump-Ryan so-called “repeal and replace” bill will never see the light of day. It failed today because it was unmasked for what it really was: a massive tax cut for the wealthiest Americans disguised as health care reform.To pay for it, 24 million Americans would have lost their healthcare, Vermont’s community hospitals would have taken an enormous financial hit, and premiums for working seniors would have soared. I hope the ashes of this bill will lead to a collaborative effort to make health care more affordable and accessible for every American.It’s time to roll up our sleeves and improve the Affordable Care Act.”