Senate Republicans have once more indefinitely delayed a vote on Trumpcare, but resistance groups have not used this as an excuse to scale back their efforts to stop the legislation. In fact, progressive organizations and activists across the country are teaming up this week to further ramp up the pressure, hoping to capitalize on the bill’s deep unpopularity.
On Monday, dozens of protestors descended on the offices of several so-called “moderate” Republicans—including Rob Portman of Ohio and Dean Heller of Nevada—who have expressed doubts about Trumpcare to demand that they come out against the legislation.
“The bill is simply a handout to billionaires that will result in the unnecessary hardship, pain, and even death for tens of thousands of Americans,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, a spokesperson for #AllofUs, a progressive group that participated in the protests at the Capitol on Monday. “People all across the country are standing up for our fundamental rights. It’s time to defeat this bill and ensure that every American is guaranteed the right to healthcare.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) can only afford to lose two votes if Trumpcare is to pass. After an updated version of the legislation was unveiled last week, two senators—Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky—announced that they would vote against the bill, leaving McConnell with little room to maneuver. Furthermore, several recent polls have confirmed that Trumpcare is widely disliked, placing extra political pressure on senators vulnerable to electoral challenges.
Resistance groups have not viewed these developments with complacency. Rather, they have emphasized the importance of keeping up the heat until the bill is dead and gone.
“Trumpcare would hurt our friends, our families, and our country—and we’ll remember this vote.”
—IndivisibleAs Slate‘s Jim Newell has observed, it is not at all clear that a third Republican will come out against the bill, despite the fact that around eight to ten senators are reportedly expressing doubts about the legislation, which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated would strip insurance from 22 million people.
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