Congressional Progressive Caucus Leaders Applaud Senate Democrats’ Floor Protest of AHCA

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Congressional Progressive Caucus issued the following statement by Co-Chairs Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., after Senate Democrats announced they will halt Senate floor activity in protest of Republicans' secretive attempts to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA).

"Just as we saw in the House, Senate Republicans are drafting a healthcare bill behind closed doors that will strip insurance away from millions of people. Like their colleagues, Senate Republicans continue to write the AHCA bill in unprecedented secrecy, with no public bill text, hearings or debates.

"Today, we applaud Senate Democrats, who are taking to the floor to condemn Republican attempts to take away healthcare from millions of people in total darkness. The public deserves to see the details of this bill, which, if anything like the House version, will give the wealthiest huge tax cuts at the expense of seniors, women, people with disabilities, and working families.

"We urge Senate Democrats to use every tactic at their disposal to expose these back-door negotiations and bring this disastrous bill into the spotlight. If Senate Republicans insist on subverting the democratic process and violating their most basic duties to govern transparently, Democrats should be prepared to exhaust all legislative tools to protect the health of millions of people and expose this Republican sham."