Washington D.C — Last night, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Chiquita Brooks-LaSure joined 14,000 participants across Nebraska and Iowa to discuss the harmful impacts of the Republican Tax Law. The town hall featured personal stories shared by Medicaid recipients, details on how this law will impact working families, and ways to fight back against congressional Republicans’ pro-billionaire agenda.
Below are some key highlights of the tele-town hall:
“Republicans in Congress passed and President Trump signed a bill that really represents the biggest transfer of wealth and resources from the poor and the middle class to the rich in the history of the country,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “They hope that no one will really notice, but there’s no way around it – people are going to know, because the bill throws 17 million people all across the country off of their health care. And for what? In order to afford a massive new tax cut for the very, very wealthy.”
“It’s so important for all of us to understand that it’s not just the people who actually are enrolled in Medicaid or receiving coverage on the marketplace who are going to be harmed by this bill. It harms all of us,” said former CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We’re going to have to fight back against the harm that this Republican Tax Law poses to our nation. People, our economy, and our health care system overall will suffer as a result of the Republicans’ and President Trump’s recklessness in passing this bill.”
“Medicaid made sure that I got the care that I needed without being buried in debt for the rest of my life. Even though it still is a struggle without Medicaid, I honestly don’t know if I would still be here, and I know that I’m not alone,” said Maria Taylor, a Davenport, IA resident. “My senators, Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, as well as my Congresswoman [Mariannette Miller-Meeks], voted to cut Medicaid just to give more tax breaks to the wealthy. This Republican Tax Law doesn’t just hurt me. It raises health insurance costs, cuts food assistance, and makes utility bills worse. Senator Ernst once joked that we’re all going to die someday, but for people like me who nearly did die, that’s not funny. This is why I fight, and this is why I continue to speak out.”
“This tax law is a massive reverse Robin Hood — leaving millions of working-class people without health care and economic stability, just to hand even more tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy,” said Campaign Director of Unrig Our Economy Leor Tal. “This town hall showed the depth of public outrage and the power of people coming together to fight for their future. Working families see through this scam, and they’re ready to fight back.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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About Unrig Our Economy
Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.