Reps. Conyers, Kildee, Dingell & Lawrence: Trump’s Immigration Order Represents ‘Unprecedented Break with America’s Humanitarian Tradition’

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 -- Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., issued the following news release:

U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) is reminding individuals who need health insurance - or want to explore new plans for 2017 - that they can still sign up for coverage until the January 31st deadline. This comes after the Trump Administration halted all advertising and other outreach activities for the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the critical last few days of Open Enrollment.

"People should not be hurt by politics," said Dingell. "This is an opportunity for individuals who need insurance to sign up, and canceling outreach in the final days of Open Enrollment will only result in fewer Americans gaining health care coverage who need it. I want to remind everyone that you can still visit Healthcare.gov between now and January 31st to sign up for a plan that's right for you and your family."

Michigan residents can also call 1-800-318-2596 to learn about the options available or find free in-person help in their community by visiting LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.

"President Trump said himself that he wants to provide insurance for everybody," continued Dingell. "If he believes this, then our goal should be to ensure more people have affordable health care coverage, not undermine the progress that's been made over the last seven years."

This action by the Administration will actually waste, not save, taxpayer dollars because the government had already purchased the ads that were going to run.

The last week of January is one of the two weeks of the enrollment season that has the largest surge of consumers signing up. In the three years since the Marketplaces began, the final day of enrollment has been the second-biggest day of enrollment. It is topped only by December 31st, the deadline for people seeking coverage effective January 1st.

Also, the last week of January has always tended to draw younger enrollees, who often wait until the very last minute to sign up. For the last week of the sign-up period, HHS had planned a major advertising campaign specifically aimed at younger adults. It is this advertising campaign that is being halted. If there end up being fewer young adults in the Marketplaces, the risk pools in the Marketplaces would be less healthy - destabilizing the Marketplaces for the future.

Before this action, enrollment in the 2017 Marketplaces had been going well. As of December 24th, more than 11.5 million people nationwide had signed up for 2017 Marketplace plans, higher than the same time last year.WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 -- Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., issued the following news release:

Today, President Trump issued an executive order drastically altering our refugee and visa system. In response, Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (MI-14), Dan Kildee (MI-5), Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and Brenda Lawrence (MI-14) issued the following joint statement:

"By seeking to halt all refugee admissions in the short term, and slash the number of refugee admissions to a modern historic low, today's order betrays our proud heritage as a Nation of immigrants and a place of refuge. And by banning all visas and admissions from exclusively Muslim-majority nations, this order constitutes a thinly veiled ban on entry based on religion, betraying America's cardinal commitment to freedom of belief.

"Throughout our history our Nation has granted safe haven to families fleeing persecution, violence, terror, sexual slavery, and torture. In doing so we have not only acted morally, but we have added to our own strength, vitality and diversity. Unfortunately, the order issued by Mr. Trump today represents an unprecedented break with our humanitarian tradition and role as a beacon of freedom.

"As Members of Congress, we take a back seat to no one in our Nation's efforts to combat the ongoing threat of terrorism. That is why our refugee system already extensively vets and confirms every individual seeking entry to our country, subjecting them to a series of security screenings and checking against multiple law enforcement data bases. But giving in to our worst fears -- as this order does -- will do nothing to make America safer or weaken our adversaries. This is why we stand united in our opposition to these efforts to divide us, and pledge to work together to reject intolerance, discrimination, and hate however and wherever we can - whether in our communities, in Congress, or in the Courts."

The executive order issued today by President Trump would, among other things: (i) halt for 90 days all visas and admissions of noncitizens from a number of Muslim-majority countries (Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen); (ii) enact a 120 day ban on all refugees from entering the United States and shut down the Syrian refugee program indefinitely; (iii) reduce by more than half the ceiling for worldwide refugee admissions; (iv) impose a potential "Values Test" against immigrants seeking entry into the United States.

30FurigayJof-5760703 30FurigayJof