Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) is calling the Republican health care bill what it really is. Franken described the bill as a thinly disguised tax cut for billionaires.
In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Franken said:
After weeks spent in secret, behind closed doors, Senate Republicans have finally released their health care plan. As expected, the bill does not address the real health care issues that people are facing and would be a disaster for the economic stability and livelihood of Minnesota families. This is nothing more than a thinly disguised attempt to gift billions of dollars in tax breaks to the very richest few Americans by dismantling our health care system, fundamentally destroying Medicaid as we know it, and making life harder and more expensive for millions and millions of Americans.
Like its sibling in the House of Representatives, this is a horrible plan born of a dangerously partisan bill-making process. And now Senate Republicans want to pull one over on the American people by forcing a vote as quickly as possible—without meaningful debate, public input, or committee oversight. I will fight this plan with every ounce of strength that I have, because the livelihoods of Minnesotans are at stake. I believe we need to be directing our efforts towards working in a bipartisan way to address the actual problems that exist in our health care system, like the lack of competition in the insurance exchanges and skyrocketing prescription drug costs. We should be working to improve people’s lives, not make them more difficult.
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Franken assumes that people will still be alive under Trumpcare, but estimates are that 30,000-40,000 Americans will die each year if the ACA is repealed. Sen. Franken went there and said what Republicans don’t want the American people to know. The health care legislation isn’t really about health care. This bill is designed to cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans and pay for it by taking health insurance coverage away from the most vulnerable Americans.
The legislation is going to gut the health care sector of the economy, lead to an economic slowdown, and make life worse for millions of Americans just so a few billionaires can have more money in their pockets.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
