Hoyer Statement on Committee Markups of GOP’s Bill to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after Republicans passed their bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act through the Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee after debating through the night:

“Today, House Republicans sidestepped the regular order they promised the American people and passed their bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act out of both the Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce Committees.  It’s no wonder why they drafted their legislation behind closed doors, kept it from lawmakers under lock and key, unveiled it late Monday, and debated it in the dead of night while most Americans slept.  Republicans know full well that if the American people saw what is in their bill, they would surely be terrified.  From making Americans to pay more for less to gutting Medicare and Medicaid, from throwing as many as 20 million people off their health coverage to punishing people when they get sick, their bill would be a disaster for American families and for our economy. 

“But Americans have yet to learn the full extent of the bill’s danger, because Republicans jammed it through the Committees without an analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office of how much it will cost taxpayers or how many people will lose their health care. They believe that if they can send it to the President’s desk before leaving for the April break, they won’t have to face angry constituents back home.  But Democrats believe that the American people deserve to weigh in on legislation of such enormous magnitude.  That’s why we will continue to do everything in our power to slow this process and open it up to the light of day.”