Hoyer Statement on Senate Vote on Motion to Proceed to Consider TrumpCare

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the Senate voted on the motion to proceed to the House-passed TrumpCare bill, with no clarity on which version of TrumpCare they will consider:  

“The Senate’s vote today highlights the danger to millions of Americans if the Affordable Care Act were to be repealed.  That it took weeks of cajoling and lobbying individual senators to enable a tie broken by the Vice President underscores just how unpopular repeal and various replacement TrumpCare proposals are.  Any of the current proposals will kick millions of Americans off their health care coverage, will increase costs for millions more, will put affordable coverage out of reach for Americans with pre-existing conditions, and will impose an age tax on older Americans.

“In his remarks this afternoon, Senator McCain reminded us that voting to proceed to debate does not make it any more likely that repeal or repeal-and-replace will pass the Senate.  Instead of trying to jam partisan repeal or replacement TrumpCare proposals through the Senate, Republicans ought to work with Democrats in both chambers to negotiate bipartisan improvements to the Affordable Care Act that stabilize our markets and help bring costs down to consumers.  Democrats will continue to fight to protect the law we passed to help put quality, affordable health coverage within reach for millions more Americans.”