Adam Beitman, adam.beitman@sierraclub.org or 202-670-5585
Washington, D.C. - Senate Republicans have added a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate to their tax scheme. Repealing the mandate would unravel the U.S. health insurance systems’ individual markets, causing millions of Americans to lose their insurance coverage and raising premiums for millions more.
In Response, Sierra Club Legislative Director Melinda Pierce released the following statement:
“Senate Republican leadership just decided to set the car on fire before driving it off a cliff. Not content to slash taxes for billionaires and corporate polluters while raising them on the middle class, now the Republican leadership also wants to throw Americans off their health insurance while they are at it. This bill is a misanthrope’s dream and a nightmare for our country.
“This bill was already a regressive swipe at the funding we need to run critical government programs that protect public health, and it already launched a sneak attack on the Arctic Refuge. With the addition of this attack on millions of American’s healthcare, this tax fraud has become even more outrageously regressive."
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.