R.I. delegation expresses outrage over ‘secretive,’ ‘shameful’ Senate vote

July 26--Rhode Island's Democratic congressional delegation in Washington expressed outrage over Tuesday's U.S. Senate vote to start debating Republican legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement.

They called the process "secretive" and "shameful" and urged their Republican colleagues not to tear down a law that provides coverage to 23 million Americans.

"Republicans held this vote without a single hearing and their bill breaks virtually every promise President Trump made on health care," U.S. Senator Jack Reed said in a statement.

The 51-50 approval fell squarely along party lines, Reed noted, "with the two brave exceptions" of senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

Reed urged his Republican colleagues to "tune out the Administration's spin and instead listen to the voices of the American people. They want us to work together to strengthen the law, not take away people's protections and access to affordable health coverage."

U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline released a statement calling the Senate vote "shameful," saying that "not a single Senator who voted to move ahead on this bill even knows what will be in it. And neither do their constituents.

"This is not how government is supposed to work for the people it serves," Cicilline said.

U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin called the Senate vote to "unconscionable" and called upon Republicans to "make a genuine effort to work with Democrats on a set of initiatives that will advance accessible, affordable health care instead of moving forward without even knowing the legislative proposal on the table. "

Rhode Islanders, like other Americans, are "watching this shameful, secretive process unfold and are terrified of what will happen if this bill succeeds," U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement.

Democrats in Congress "stand ready to hold hearings, hammer out amendments, and build on the gains we've made under the Affordable Care Act," Whitehouse said. "In the days ahead, I hope my Republicans colleagues join us to improve our health care system."

-- [email protected]

(401)277-7335

On Twitter: @LynnArditi

___

(c)2017 The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.)

Visit The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.) at www.projo.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.