Sen. Menendez: CBO Confirms Senate GOP Health Bill Would be a Disaster

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- The office of Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published a report estimating 22 million Americans would lose their health insurance under the Senate Republican plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act:

"What we believed in our hearts and knew in our heads to be true, now has the numbers to back it up: The Senate Republican health care bill is downright nasty. It will put our country on a crash course that will endanger American lives and threaten the financial security of millions upon millions of families in New Jersey and across our country.

"As we feared, their plan would leave 22 million uninsured, slam families with higher out-of-pocket costs while stripping their access to basic coverage, and punish those who need affordable healthcare the most by eviscerating Medicaid. So, after weeks of backroom dealing, Senate Republicans should use today's eye-opening report to recognize that taking away healthcare from millions of Americans to give the wealthiest in our society a huge tax giveaway is nothing short of a travesty.

"We can't let this happen. That is why I will fight tooth and nail in the coming days to stand up for the millions of Americans whose lives and livelihoods literally depend on stopping Republicans from jamming through this cruel bill. Once again, Republicans must realize that the breadth of support for offering real solutions that ensure all Americans get the healthcare they need goes far beyond politics or elections. It is our responsibility to the country."