Washington D.C — Congressman Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) promised to ban members of Congress from buying and selling stocks. This week, the New York Times reported that the Congressman was the one doing the selling…out of Pennsylvania hospitals.
The New York Times reports that Congressman Bresnahan sold bonds in Pennsylvania hospitals following the publication of a report that Pennsylvania rural hospitals were at risk of closure. After safely selling off his hospital bonds, Bresnahan proceeded to vote for the largest Medicaid cut in history.
It is also the possibility — or at least the appearance of one — that he could be benefiting financially from votes he made in Congress in favor of elements of President Trump’s domestic policy agenda that could end up harming his constituents.
On March 27, for instance, Mr. Bresnahan sold off between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of bonds issued by the Allegheny County Hospital Development Authority for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The sale came after a report identified 10 rural hospitals in Pennsylvania that faced immediate risk of closure, and a month after Mr. Bresnahan voted for the House budget resolution that paved the way for large Medicaid cuts.
“Congressman Bresnahan didn’t just vote to gut Pennsylvania hospitals. He looked out for his own bottom line before doing it,” said Unrig Our Economy Campaign Director Leor Tal. “Hospitals across Pennsylvania could close thanks to his vote, forcing families to drive long distances and experience longer wait times for critical care. Not everyone has a secret helicopter they can use whenever they want.”
Congressman Bresnahan has already faced scrutiny for selling stock in a health care company hurt by his Medicaid cuts. He’s also complained to local news outlets that it’s ‘downright excruciating’ to follow through on the established ethics process to put his assets in a blind trust and eliminate any conflicts of interest.
Congressman Bresnahan is being held accountable for his attacks on working Pennsylvania families. You can watch Unrig Our Economy’s ad highlighting his vote to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, while making life more unaffordable for working-class Americans.
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.