Senator Patty Murray scorched “Trumpcare” — her moniker for the House Republican legislation to dismantle the Affordable Care Act — in a blistering speech delivered Tuesday on the Senate Floor.
“This legislation represents a broken promise to patients and families. It would leave them sicker, more vulnerable to the chaos Republicans are creating within our health care system, and less financially secure,” Murray said in her speech.
“Millions of people who only just gained Medicaid coverage will lose it. People struggling with mental illness and substance abuse — including opioid addiction, which is ravaging states nationwide — may find that their insurance no longer has to cover the treatment they need. And key public health programs that families across the country rely on would be slashed,” she said.
Murray (D-WA) is Washington state’s senior senator and the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
“Trumpcare,” she said, “would be a disaster for workers and families.”
“But let’s be clear about who it does work for: those at the top. Because, even while Trumpcare causes all this harm for the same workers and families Republicans promised to help — it actually reduces the tax burden for the wealthiest and insurance companies.
“That’s the definition of taking our health care system backwards,” she said.
Murray also called the proposed legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act as “a wish list by and for the extreme politicians who insist on telling women what to do with their own bodies.”
Murray said: “It would defund Planned Parenthood; undermine key protections for women’s health care included in the Affordable Care Act; and by slashing Medicaid, this bill would take coverage away from low-income women and women of color who disproportionately rely on Medicaid to get the care they need.”
Murray asked Republicans to join with Democrats in opposing the bill.
“I could not oppose this bill in stronger terms — and I am going to be doing everything I can to fight back against it. I know that Senate Democrats are ready to do so as well. And I urge any Republican who is truly concerned about their constituents’ health, well-being, and financial security — rather than just partisan politics — to do the right thing and join us.”
