New York Representatives Speak Out Against Trumpcare
- Washington, DC 05/05/2017 by Linda Perry (WBAI News)

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass Trumpcare, the Republican replacement for Obamacare with a vote of 217 to 213 on Thursday. 

After the vote, Bud Light was carted into the Rose Garden where House Republicans were celebrated by Donald Trump. There he gloated about the win. "You know coming from a different world and only being a politician for a short period of time, How'm I doing?"  seeking affirmation from smiling Paul Ryan and other Republicans behind him, he exclaimed "OK I'm President. Hey I'm President! Could you believe it, right?" 

Protesters aren't celebrating. They shouted "Shame, Shame!" as Republicans left the chamber on their way to the Rose Garden. Trumpcare is a disaster say members of the New York Delegation like Joe Crowley, Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat and Hakim Jeffries. 

Congressmember Clarke says, "It will cause the uninsured rate in my district in Brooklyn to skyrocket, to over 12% and leaves over 400,000 Brooklynites in my district without coverage. Because of the severe cuts to Medicaid, this bill will also put people in a terrible position of having to choose between being able to eat, being able to obtain life sustaining medication or visiting their doctors.... This bill is a sham!"

According to Congressmember Adriano Espaillat "the bill is a gut punch to America.. with patients with pre-existing conditions kicked to the curb. 24 million, 6.5 million Latinos kicked to the curb." 

"The system is rigged," says Representative Hakim Jeffries. "The fix is in. And #Trumpcare will screw the American people."

Western New York representative Chris Collins however sees it differently. He says, "Trumpcare is a great game changer."  The bill now goes to the Senate where changes are expected. 

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headline photo
Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Bronx/Queens Congressmember Joe Crowley, The House of Representatives, May 4, 2017.