WASHINGTON — The week of the Senate Republicans’ attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act began with U.S. Capitol police removing protesters from the Senate Finance Committee’s public hearing on the Graham-Cassidy health care proposal to replace Obamacare.
Hundreds of people from across the country lined up outside the hearing room several hours before the hearing began, some arriving as early as 5 a.m.to try to get a seat in the hearing room for the unexpected public hearing on the proposal. Senate Republicans are trying to pass an Obamacare repeal by Saturday, when a procedural rule that allows them to pass a ball with a simple majority expires.
Michelle Fridley, an activist for the grassroots organization for disability rights ADAPT, came from Canadaigua, New York to protest the bill’s proposed Medicaid cuts and criticized the lack of input from the public in the GOP attempts to repeal the ACA.
“If you have an honest health care plan that’s going to improve the health care of the United States, why not leave it open for discussion? Why does it have to be rushed through and voted on,” Fridley said.
Jill Hile, a cystic fibrosis advocate from Hilliard, Ohio, said she worried that the measure proposed by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy would hurt her 16-year-old daughter’s ability to get health care for her cystic fibrosis in the future.
“The scary parts for me are her protection against pre-existing conditions,” said Hill. “She’s getting ready to start this whole new part of her life…thinking about her future. This should not be the thing that she’s focused and thinking about.”
As soon as the Finance Committee meeting was called to order, the 21 members of the public allowed into the room began chanting, “No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty!” Capitol police immediately began removing the protesters, halting the hearing.
After the room had been cleared of protesters, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questioned why a larger room was not used for such an important hearing.
Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, responded, “Because of the high interest and importance of this hearing, an overflow room has already been secured. Not to mention, it will be televised on C-SPAN, and available for live streaming on the Senate Finance Committee’s website.”
When the meeting reconvened, only those already in the room were allowed to remain; none of those waiting outside were allowed to take the ejected protesters’ places. But as the meeting began for a second time, the continued chants from the protesters could be heard coming from the hallway.