194 Republicans vote to fund Trump's effort to gut protections for preexisting conditions
Instead of stopping Trump’s health care sabotage, Republicans vote to stand on his side.
On Thursday night, Republicans had the chance to show they would fight for Americans with preexisting conditions but sided with Trump’s anti-health care agenda instead.
Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) offered an amendment to a spending bill to prohibit any funding for litigation to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The amendment passed by a 238-194 vote, with Democrats unifying behind it but joined by only four Republicans.
The rest of the GOP refused to stand up for the 134 million Americans who have preexisting conditions.
If Trump is successful, he would eliminate every provision in the ACA, which would leave 20 million people without health insurance. Under current law, health insurance companies cannot deny health care to people with preexisting conditions, nor charge them more for coverage.
The Trump administration has been absolutely clear about their intentions.
In May, Trump administration lawyers told a federal appeals court that the ACA “must be struck down.” Trump’s team had the option of defending some parts of the law, including protecting people with preexisting conditions, but refused to do so.
With their vote, Republicans in Congress showed they are on Trump’s side, not the side of most Americans.
“Congresswoman Underwood and her Democratic colleagues are leading the charge to protect Americans’ health care by using every tool in their shed to fight the Trump administration’s disastrous Texas lawsuit,” Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, said in a statement after the vote. “Every single Republican who voted against this amendment has again endorsed Trump’s approach to health care: repeal, overturn and strike down. Americans rejected this approach in 2018 when they sent scores of Republican House Members packing, and they are no more supportive of the GOP’s repeal and sabotage agenda today.”
This was the second time Republicans in Congress had the chance to reject Trump’s health care sabotage. In May, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 by a vote of 230 to 183. Every single no vote was cast by a Republican.
Time and again, Republicans show where their priorities lie: standing up for Trump while throwing Americans with preexisting conditions under the bus.
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
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