Schakowsky Statement on voting against the American Health Care Act in the House Budget Committee

Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement after voting against the Republican bill to rip apart our health care system in the House Budget Committee:

“The Republican disaster known as the ‘American Health Care Act’ just barely passed the House Budget Committee. I opposed the measure. This bill would give a $600 billion tax cut to the ultra-wealthy and the corporations they run, and take away health care from 24 million hard-working Americans in the next ten years. The hardest hit by this GOP plot would be women, older Americans, children, and people with disabilities.

“This bill imposes an age tax on near seniors -- people age 50 to 64. Under the Republican plan, the cost of insurance for a 64 year-old earning $26,500 would go from $1,700 to $14,600. That is downright shameful. It would leave millions of older Americans unable to afford their insurance.

“The opposition to the American Health Care Act is near-universal. The bill has been opposed by the AARP, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American College of Physicians, and the American Hospital Association. Countless conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute have opposed it. The bill has also lost ground with Republicans in Congress. Republican members of the House and Senate are jumping ship left and right. Republicans on the Budget Committee couldn’t even get all of their own members to vote in favor of this bill, with 3 members defecting.

“I have heard from thousands of constituents who are scared and angry about what this bill would mean for them. To them I say: we can stop this bill, and I’m going to keep up the fight to make sure we do.”