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ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on House Passage of GOP Tax Scam, Sneaky Health Care Repeal

In response to the House passing the GOP tax scam containing sneaky repeal, which will kick 13 million Americans off of their insurance, raise premiums double digits for millions more and slash Medicare by $25 billion, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“Today, Republicans made clear their claims about expanding health care access, lowering the deficit and evening the playing field for the middle class were complete lies,” Woodhouse said. “This legislation will kick 13 million people off of their health insurance, raise premiums double digits for millions more and trigger a $25 billion cut in Medicare – all so the wealthiest and large corporations can get a tax break.

“This bill is atrocious in all aspects. It was written in a dark room without outside analysis or bipartisan input. When nonpartisan analyses found that GOP claims were severely misleading, Speaker Paul Ryan just said they were wrong. When asked to make the conference report public, Chairman Kevin Brady responded by releasing its text at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon. When experts warned about rushing the bill through, Republicans ignored them, to the point that GOP Members literally cannot name the tax brackets in the bill they voted in favor of. And all of this was done to pass a massively unpopular bill that guts health care for the middle-class and makes the one-percent even richer.

“The Republican war on health care has not gone unnoticed by the American people. Health care has dominated every Congressional recess, it’s the number one issue on the minds of voters, it powered Democrats in last month’s elections in Virginia, Maine and New Jersey and the GOP’s efforts to repeal and sabotage the law have contributed to historically-low approval ratings for President Trump and congressional Republicans. Republicans are going to get their tax scam – but at great cost to American health care and to the GOP’s own political standing.”

ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement On Potential Inclusion Of Alexander-Murray In Senate Spending Bill

In response to the news that the Senate plans to include the Alexander-Murray legislation in its must-pass spending bill this week, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This is not nearly enough to offset the damage caused by this tax bill, and for senators to pretend otherwise is wrong and short-sighted” said Woodhouse. “13 million people will lose health insurance due to sneaky repeal and millions more will see their premiums rise double digits, and Alexander-Murray will do virtually nothing for these people even it is able to pass the House, far from a sure thing.

“Perhaps Senators Collins and Murkowski think this legislation will allow them to justify supporting a tax scam benefiting the wealthiest and big corporations at the expense of everyone else, but it provides little comfort to the American people losing sleep over their health care being put in jeopardy by the GOP tax scam.”

ashoup
In News, Statement

Protect Our Care Statement In Response to GOP Finally Releasing Tax Scam Text

In response to the text of the GOP tax scam – which kicks 13 million people off of their insurance, raises premiums double digits for millions more and cuts Medicare by $25 billion – finally being released, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This GOP tax plan was negotiated behind closed doors, and now they’re releasing it as a Friday night news dump on the weekend before the vote because they want this hidden from the American people and only shared with their donors,” said Woodhouse. “They know the American people reject giving tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations at the expense of health care for middle class families. The more people learn about this plan, the worse things will get for its supporters. Thirteen million Americans will lose their insurance, tens of millions more will see their premiums increase by double digits and Medicare will be slashed by $25 billion, all to give a tax break to the wealthiest and corporations..

“After being written in a back room, without hearings, expert input or a bipartisan debate, and passing the Senate in the middle of the night, this bill went through conference in complete secrecy, with Democratic amendments refused and Democratic Members being given just two hours to examine it. And of course, this comes just days after a special election in Alabama where the Trump/GOP agenda was soundly rejected and just a month after GOP electoral losses across the country where healthcare played the dominant role.

“This bill is a mockery of the democratic process  This bill gives the top 0.1% a $200,000 tax break while raising health care premiums for people by 10%. That is indefensible. Any GOP Member of Congress who cares about their constituents’ health care should vote against it.”

ashoup
In Statement, News

Protect Our Care Statement On Paul Ryan’s Inability To Accept The Truth

In response to the news that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told reporters that lawmakers need to “revisit” the Affordable Care Act, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“Like a zombie, the GOP repeal agenda and their lies on the Affordable Care Act simply won’t go away,” said Woodhouse. “It’s not enough that Paul Ryan and Congressional Republicans have snuck health care repeal into the tax bill to rip coverage away from 13 million Americans and increase premiums by double digits on millions more, they are continuing to insist they will return to repeal in 2018 and they will lie through their teeth in the process. No, Speaker Ryan, the Affordable Care Act is not failing – in fact, it’s succeeding despite the GOP agenda of repeal and sabotage. Every county in the country has coverage, plans are affordable and despite the efforts by the Trump Administration to sabotage open enrollment millions of Americans are shopping for and enrolling in plans.

“Speaker Ryan, your party is in a downward political spiral because of your repeal and sabotage agenda on health care. It was reported today that you might retire at the end of the current Congress in 2018. Mr. Speaker, if you continue efforts to repeal the ACA and deny Americans affordable access to health care the issue of your retirement may well be decided for you.”

ashoup
In Statement, News

Protect Our Care Statement On GOP Tax Scam Following Doug Jones Victory

#DelayforDoug

Washington, D.C. – Following Doug Jones’ historic victory in Alabama and the continued insistence of GOP leadership to ram their tax scam through and ignore the will of the people, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“If the GOP attempts to jam their tax scam through in the aftermath of this election without allowing Doug Jones to be sworn in and the people of Alabama to be heard, they will make this colossal political miscalculation for themselves even worse,” said Woodhouse. “The Republicans wrote their tax bill, including their sneaky health care repeal, in secret, without any hearings or true debate, and passed it in the middle of the night – and the American people overwhelmingly opposed it even before last night’s political earthquake.

“Now, after the voters of Alabama made their preference clear, the GOP seems prepared to ignore the will of the people – all to rip health care away from 13 million people and raise premiums double digits for tens of millions more to give tax breaks to the wealthiest and big corporations. Majority Leader McConnell should commit to delaying final consideration of the tax bill until Doug Jones is seated. If he doesn’t, Jeff Flake, who supported Jones, and Susan Collins, who already has reservations about the bill, should compel him to do so with their votes.”

Sean England
In Statement

Protect Our Care Statement On Passage of Senate GOP Tax Scam which Guts American Health Care to Give Tax Breaks to Billionaires and Wall Street

In response to the Senate passing the GOP’s Senate tax scam which includes sneaky health care repeal, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“Today, Senate Republicans and President Trump made their priorities clear: tax breaks for the rich and powerful and big corporations, all of whom are doing just fine in today’s economy, are more important than the health care of millions of Americans,” said Woodhouse.

“Under this bill, 13 million people will have their health coverage ripped away, premiums will skyrocket double digits for millions more, Medicare will be slashed by $25 billion next year alone and older Americans will face an age tax — all so the wealthiest and corporations can get a tax break. And none of the promises which have been made to some members to get their votes, including the passage of the Alexander-Murray stabilization bill, will undo the damage this bill will cause and hiding behind these sham deals is just plain wrong.

“After a year of historically bad poll numbers, rising public support for the Affordable Care Act and election losses in November tied to the issue of health care, Republicans are performing the political equivalent of Harakiri to appease Republican donors who want a fat tax break for themselves and a political win for their party, the health security of millions of Americans be damned in the process. Fortunately, this issue is far from decided and in the ensuing days and weeks Republicans in the House and Senate will be subject to a barrage of ads, calls, events and protests from constituents who will not stand idly by while American health care is sacrificed on the altar of tax breaks for the rich.”

Sean England
In Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on Senate Passage of Motion to Proceed

In response to the Senate voting to proceed on the GOP tax bill, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“Senate Republicans, with the enthusiastic support of President Trump, just voted to advance a bill that would rip away health coverage from 13 million people, raise premiums on millions more, impose an age tax on older Americans and slash Medicare by $25 billion,” said Woodhouse. “They are doing so to give tax breaks to golf resorts, private jet owners, the idle rich and multi-national corporations, all while raising taxes on the middle class. This bill is beyond terrible policy — it will devastate the lives of millions. This sneaky health care repeal scam is opposed by a coalition of nineteen leading patient groups and more than 2,400 faith leaders, as well as the vast majority of Americans. As this bill moves forward in the Senate, we will hold Members accountable for repealing the health care of the American people to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations.”

Sean England
In Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on CBO Analysis Confirming That Alexander-Murray Will Not Solve the…

In response to new findings from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office which determine that Alexander-Murray will have little effect on the country’s health care marketplace if the GOP goes through with their sneaky repeal, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This confirms what every policy expert has been saying for weeks,” said Woodhouse. “Alexander-Murray means nothing if health care is repealed, and make no mistake, the GOP tax bill would do just that. Sneaky repeal would be disastrous, unnecessarily harming middle-class Americans, wrecking the country’s health care marketplace and cutting Medicare all to provide a tax cut to the wealthiest and corporations.

“Passing Alexander-Murray after voting for repeal is like installing guardrails on the highway after your car has gone over the cliff. It’s useless. Every Senator who doesn’t want to harm our nation’s health should vote against it.”

Sean England
In Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on Tax Bill Passing Out of Senate Budget Committee

In response to the news that the Senate Budget Committee voted 12–11 to advance the GOP tax bill, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:

“This bill is a disgrace,” said Woodhouse. “It repeals our health care in order to give billionaires and corporations a massive tax break. It was crafted in secret, on a purely partisan basis, with no expert input, and its provisions are opposed by every major health group in America. This bill would kick 13 million Americans off of their insurance, raise premiums across the board, trigger a $25 billion cut to Medicare and further destabilize the insurance markets.

“If this bill passes, it is tantamount to repealing the Affordable Care Act. President Trump’s support for the Alexander-Murray bill is a sham. Alexander-Murray does nothing to make up for the damage the Senate bill causes and everyone knows that, including its authors. Even more cynically, the House leadership does not support the bill and House conservatives have referred to it as a ‘nonstarter.’

“This bill will rip health care away from millions and raise costs for millions more, hammering older Americans and people in rural areas. The consequences for middle-class Americans will be enormous. Shame on any senator who supports it.”

Sean England
In Statement

Protect Our Care Statement on Senate Finance Passage of Tax Bill

In response to the GOP tax bill — which contains a repeal of the individual mandate, something the CBO found would increase premiums double-digits and kick 13 million people off of their health insurance — passing the Senate Finance Committee, Protect Our Care Campaign Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:

“This is unconscionable,” said Woodhouse. “To say the GOP isn’t listening to their constituents would be the understatement of the year. Ten days ago voters across the country made clear their support of the Affordable Care Act, electing candidates who supported its expansion, voting out entrenched incumbents who backed repeal and resoundly passing a Medicaid expansion the first time the ACA was on the ballot. Now, just days later, the GOP is responding to this outpouring of support for the expansion of health care by moving forward legislation tantamount to its repeal.

“This bill would raise premiums double-digits across the board, kick 13 million people off of their health insurance and cut $25 billion from Medicare — all so the wealthiest Americans and corporations can get a tax break. Republicans in Congress are so insistent on giving their donors a tax cut that they have no problem raising health care costs for the middle-class families who need it most while crippling the health insurance marketplace. Republicans in the Senate who said ‘no’ to previous efforts at repeal should say ‘hell no’ to this one.”

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