CONYERS: House Republicans Continue Attacks on Women and Affordable Healthcare

Calls for Renewed Focus on Jobs and Expanding Healthcare

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. John Conyers, Jr. voted against the so-called, “Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015” (H.R. 3762), a conservative effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood, which is a leading provider of affordable health care for women and working families. If enacted, this Republican Reconciliation bill would strip 22 million Americans of their health coverage, and would end family planning services and life-saving cancer screenings from millions of women across the country. Fortunately, the White House has promised a veto should this bill reach the President’s desk.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“The calendar has changed and the Speaker has changed, but the Republican playbook remains the same: more Republican attacks on women’s health care and affordable health insurance for working families,” said Rep. Conyers.  “Instead of going after Planned Parenthood and attempting to dismantle the affordable health coverage of 22 million Americans, Speaker Ryan and House Republicans should be working on a real priority for Americans: job creation and leveling the playing field for struggling American workers who haven’t yet experienced any economic recovery.”

The Republican Reconciliation bill, which passed the House along party lines:

·      Defunds Planned Parenthood, leaving millions of American women without key preventive health services – including life-saving cancer screenings, women’s health exams, birth control and advice on family planning; and

·      Destroys the Affordable Care Act, effectively dismantling the newfound health and economic security of millions of Americans.

According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), this Republican Reconciliation bill would take away health insurance from 22 million Americans. 

With this bill, House Republicans have now voted 62 times to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act, even though the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in 2012.  In addition, the conservative legislators in the House have now voted 11 times in the 114th Congress alone to disrupt women’s access to affordable health care.

“We’ve turned the calendar and now it’s time to turn the page. Congress must focus on growing the economy, creating jobs and improving the lives of working families,” continued Conyers. “I implore my Republican colleagues to end their attacks on the health care of women and working families, and work with House Democrats to accelerate our economic recovery and make the American dream accessible again to every hard-working American.”

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