Bera, Khanna, Jayapal and Krishnamurthy all come out strongly against Trumpcare.
When the American Health Care Act (AHCA) bill was put to vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday, all four Indian American lawmakers voted “No”. The bill was passed by the House with a narrow margin of 217 to 213, sending it to the Senate.
AHCA, better known as Trumpcare, was voted “No” by Reps. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Raja Krishnamurthy (D-Wash.). The Democrats have argued that the bill, which would repeal and replace the existing Obamacare, would result in 24 million Americans losing insurance coverage.
“This is not the day for us to celebrate anything. A lot of patients are going to lose out on their coverage,” Bera said on MSNBC soon after the vote.. “Twenty-four to 25 million Americans are going to lose out on health coverage. This is not a good bill.”
“Thanks to all who contacted me about #AHCA. Even though I’ve long opposed it, your messages strengthen my resolve as I keep fighting #voteNO,” Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote on Twitter after the bill’s passage.
“Don’t get discouraged. Add your name if you’re going to continue to fight back against #Trumpcare,” wrote Pramila Jayapal, who also posted explaining how the new bill will affect tens of millions of Americans.
“It is a disgrace and it’s shameful. You know what, this fight is not yet over. They won the vote in the house but how had they had to work out there, it is because of you. So, we have more work to do the bill is going to the senate now. They are counting on you and don’t be discouraged now,” she says in the video.
Khanna, another freshman, also came out strongly against the Trumpcare bill on his official website.
“Today, the House had a choice. We could cast a vote to uphold our country’s values and keep people healthy, keep them secure, and keep improving care. Or a vote could be made that places corporate interests ahead of working families’ livelihood. I am disappointed to say that latter happened,” he wrote.
“The House GOP chose to gut The Affordable Care Act, a bill that provides more than 20 million people with health insurance with protections that allow fewer than 10 percent of the population to remain uninsured. This afternoon, congressional Republicans chose to halt the progress made on improving the nation’s health and livelihood, and instead put the country on a path to higher costs, less coverage, fewer protections, and larger premiums. All for a massive tax cut for millionaires and billionaires,” he added.
“As the bill moves to the Senate, I encourage my colleagues in the other chamber not to make the same mistake that happened today. That senators listen to their constituents’ stories on how important health care is to them. The fight doesn’t end here, I will continue to advocate for improvements on ways people access and pay for health care, including Medicare for all,” Khanna concluded.