Statement on House GOP Vote to Repeal ACA

Statement

Today, Rep. Norma J. Torres (D-Pomona) issued the following statement in response to a House of Representatives vote that clears the path for repeal of the Affordable Care Act:

"The vote taken in Congress today is nothing short of irresponsible. It puts in jeopardy the lives of millions of Americans just for the sake of a political victory. For years, we have heard Republicans talk about repealing and replacing, but to this day we have not seen a single workable plan to replace the ACA. Today, it is clear. Congressional Republicans have no interest in improving healthcare for the American people. If they did, they would work with Democrats to improve the ACA and build on its progress rather than scrapping the whole thing and leaving millions of Americans high and dry.

"The fact of the matter is Obamacare is working. In California, we have cut the number of uninsured in half and have used ACA resources to improve the way we deliver healthcare to all Californians. I was proud to work in the state legislature to improve the implementation of the ACA, from making sure materials were available in a variety of languages to diversifying the areas of expertise of Covered California Board members so they could better address the needs of our state. But now, because our state has seen the greatest benefits from Obamacare, we also have the most to lose. It's time my congressional colleagues put their partisan interests aside and genuinely work to expand access to affordable health care for all Americans."

S. Con. Res. 3, the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Resolution, which includes language to expedite legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 227 to 198. It previously passed the Senate by a vote of 51-48 in a late night session that went into the early hours Thursday.

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