View Images of the Event Here.
Learn More About “Sick of It!” Here.
Washington, D.C. — Today, Protect Our Care was joined by six House Democrats, Little Lobbyists, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Caring Across Generations, SEIU, and Community Catalyst to kick off “Sick of It! Fix Health Care Now” in our nation’s Capitol. “Sick of It!” is Protect Our Care’s new campaign demanding action from lawmakers and calling for solutions to lower costs, lower barriers to care, and fix the health care system broken by President Donald Trump and Republicans. The campaign is a multi-month effort that crisscrosses America with a bus tour, giving voice to the millions of Americans rightfully sick of Trump and Republicans in Congress gutting our health care system to bankroll tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.
Members of Congress who joined include House Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-05), Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33), Ranking Member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06), Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chairs Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), and Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL-07).
“The Republican Party is about to find out that when you screw with people’s health care, when you go after their families, when you mess with their kids, there will be a price to pay,” said House Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA-05). “We are going to make sure that each and every voter knows exactly who to blame for every hospital closure we’re seeing across this country, every illness that is going untreated, and every prescription that is going unfilled. We’re going to make sure this attack on health care for working families does not go unpunished because the American people are sick of it.”
“This is not what the American people voted for, and now one year later, families are experiencing that fallout,” said Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33). “Instead of lowering costs, Republicans made life harder and more expensive for everyone. Democrats will do everything we can to make delivering on health care the heart of our mission. We’re going to keep fighting to lower costs, fix the health care crisis, and stop Trump and Republicans from wasting tax dollars.”
“This was not an accident. This is a crisis of choice perpetrated by Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress who ripped more than a trillion dollars out of Americans’ health care and let the Affordable Care Act tax credits expire,” said Ranking Member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06). “That’s the choice that the Republicans are making over and over again now, and I’m frankly sick of it. I know everyone is sick of it, and House Democrats are going to do whatever we can to address this crisis.”
“As a registered nurse and one of just a small group of health care professionals serving here in the United States Congress, it has been horrifying to watch this Republican health care crisis unfold,” said Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14). “In town halls and meetings, in our communities, we are going to be making sure that our neighbors and the American people know that we have not and we will not be giving up on this fight. Whether you live in urban America or rural America, in a midwestern community like mine or one of our great coastal cities, every single American family should have high-quality, affordable health care.”
“Under the leadership of Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, hardworking families across our country are paying thousands of dollars more for basic necessities: groceries, gas, utilities, health care. We are sick of it,” said Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03). “It’s a question of priorities, and House Democrats’ priority is you. We’re going to fight for Americans’ health care, and if you raise prices on families, we’re going to hold you accountable. Every family in America should be able to see a doctor, and we won’t stop working until we get there.”
“Americans know that Republicans have failed them, and they’re asking themselves if Democrats can deliver lower health care costs. The answer is unequivocally yes,” said Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL-07). “We are laser-focused on ensuring that Democrats are ready to make health care costs more affordable for every American on day one. We will build a health care system that finally puts affordability first and delivers lower costs for every American, and we can do it because we’re mad as hell and we’re sick of it.”
“We’re sick of watching the majority in Congress pass the largest Medicaid cut in history, not to fix anything, but to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations,” said Jaimie K. Worker, Senior Director of Policy & Research, Caring Across Generations. “This is not a personal failure; it is a policy choice, and what was chosen can be reversed. Reversing these cuts is the floor, not the ceiling. We will not be ignored. We’re sick of it, and we’re going to fix it.”
“I’m sick of the Trump administration and its anti-abortion backers in Congress who are playing politics with our health care and making it more expensive and harder to get,” said Nora Walsh-DeVries, Vice President of Political & Legislative Affairs, Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “In the year since Planned Parenthood was defunded, patients faced more barriers and got less care, which will mean greater health risks in the future. As House Republicans push forward another party-line bill that fails to address the health care crisis they created, people need to know who is to blame for the harm our communities are experiencing.”
“There are countless stories we’ve heard from real people across the nation, people who depend on health insurance programs that are getting more expensive or simply out of reach by the day,” said Shaina Goodman, Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs, Community Catalyst. “We know people out in communities are sick of the status quo, and we’re counting on all of you to keep up the fight. Not just to reverse the harms of recent policy changes, but to move us closer to the health care system that we need and deserve.”
“Kids like mine are alive today because of the Affordable Care Act and because of Medicaid. And we’re here speaking out today because that is all under threat,” said Elena Hung, Executive Director & Co-Founder of Little Lobbyists. “Health care costs are pushing families like mine to make impossible choices, and that is a policy failure, not a personal one, and we are sick of it.”
“Care is possible because of Medicaid. Yet today, that promise is under attack,” said Athena Jones, Chair, SEIU Local 512 Home Care Chapter. “Congress has approved more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. How can we stand and say that we are great if we are allowing the most vulnerable to stand in the midst of these atrocities? Let history record that we choose courage over comfort, that we choose people over politics, that we choose care over cuts. This is why we are here. This is why we fight, and this is why we are not finished yet.”
“The American people are fed up with the growing health care crisis after Trump and Republicans slashed more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and gutted Affordable Care Act tax credits,” said Brad Woodhouse, President, Protect Our Care. “Since then, more than eight million Americans have lost the coverage they relied on to see a doctor when they’re sick, families are seeing higher costs, and communities across the country are watching their hospitals, nursing homes, maternity wards, and other providers cut services, shut their doors, or be put at risk. We’re going to fix health care now, and you just try and stop us.”