Rep. Hastings Issues Statement on Trumpcare

WASHINGTON, May 4 -- Rep. Alcee. L. Hastings, D-Fla., issued the following statement after the American Health Care Act of 2017 passed the House by a vote of 217-213:

"The short-sighted bill rammed through today by House Republicans will spell disaster if it's signed into law. Trumpcare should have been a nonstarter. It will strip healthcare from 24 million Americans, eviscerate essential benefits, and target women and seniors with unfair costs. Anyone who voted for this bill should be ashamed of themselves.

"Passing the buck to the Senate is as hypocritical as it is cowardly. The CBO will surely score this measure before it is taken up by the Senate, and every Republican who voted for Trumpcare will have to defend voting for a measure that cuts care, steals billions from Medicare, and gives handouts to insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry.

"President Donald John Trump and his Republican lackeys have accomplished nothing today. Eventually Republicans will have to get serious about improving healthcare for all Americans and not just the privileged few."