“The Pied Piper of Trump Tower is playing a tune and they must dance.”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee, spoke against the Republican health care bill set for a vote today. Rep. Doggett said on the House Floor:

"The harsh indifference of these Republicans to the well-being of so many Americans is startling. Trump may temporarily bury the lie central to this plan with a tweet storm, with fake news, but these Republicans who follow him, they will not be able to find an excuse, as one family after another suffers.

"Today's surprise attack on American health care has been widely condemned by health care professionals across the country and those who represent the disabled and sick like the American Cancer Society and March of Dimes.

"Jimmy Kimmel – know that your baby was fortunate, but others born with a disability will face the barrier of pre-existing conditions. And they didn't listen to the AARP, which knows those Americans too young for Medicare by a few years will get socked with unaffordable premiums.

"They don't know what this monstrosity of a bill costs to the taxpayers, they don't know how many families will lose coverage, how many jobs will be lost; they don't really know what's in this bill. They know only that the Pied Piper of Trump Tower is playing a tune today and they must dance. There is much talk about high risk pools—the real high risk pool is the one that everyone who votes for this outrageous proposal is about to plunge into."

The Republican's American Health Care Act is opposed by many, including the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, American Cancer Society, and AARP. The bill could take healthcare away from 24 million Americans and strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions, allow lifetime and annual caps on care, and take away the requirement that essential health benefits like maternity care, prescription drugs, and mental health care are covered.

You can view Congressman Doggett's floor speech here.