The Republican House leadership today did the right thing—for the wrong reasons.
Speaker Paul Ryan was forced to pull the Alternative Health Care Act (Trumpcare) because a bloc of the most extreme conservatives in Congress didn’t think it went far enough in making health care unaffordable, inaccessible and insufficient for millions of people. This came after Donald Trump and Paul Ryan tried to win their votes by shredding the essential health benefits that comprise the bedrock of the Affordable Care Act—hospitalization, preventive care, mental health services, pregnancy, maternity and pediatric care, among others. Their cruel insistence on even harsher measures effectively killed Trumpcare, at least for now.
NOW is grateful to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and our other champions in the House who have worked day and night to stop Trumpcare from becoming law — for the right reasons. They believe, as we do, that health care is not a privilege for the wealthy few but a basic right for all of us.
But an overwhelming majority of House Republicans still intend to defund Planned Parenthood, gut Medicaid, make health care more expensive for women, and take life-saving care away from tens of millions. They won’t give up on this mission as long as they hold office. So, we intend to ensure they won’t stay in office much longer.
NOW will remain on high alert throughout the life of this Congress to repel every direct assault, sneak attack and backroom deal aimed at every individual’s right to quality, affordable health care. And in 2018, we’ll be in the streets working to elect a new Congress that will protect health care rights and every right that’s now threatened by Donald Trump and the extremists in Congress.