01.26.2017

Philadelphia, PA—Thousands of people gathered this afternoon to protest plans by Republican members of Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The protest coincided with the first meeting of President Donald Trump and House and Senate Republicans at the annual Republican congressional retreat. The protest began with a march from the Thomas Paine Plaza to the Loews Hotel, the location of the Republican retreat.

“We know that repealing the Affordable Care Act would have disastrous consequences,” said Jose DeMarco, of ACT UP Philadelphia. “A repeal without a plan for replacement would leave millions of Americans in the lurch without access to healthcare, and would result in a devastating setback to the progress we’ve made on the treatment of HIV/AIDS. We believe that healthcare is a basic, fundamental human right, and to deny this care to any person is simply unconscionable.”

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s own Senator Toomey suggested that it’s unfair to make insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions because it's like “asking the [insurance company] to rebuild the house after it's burned down.” The Affordable Care Act has meant that the 5.5 million Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions, including manageable conditions like asthma, have not had to worry about insurance companies denying them coverage. Those people are humans in need of care, not burnt down buildings. If Sen. Toomey, Trump and the GOP repeal the ACA, 1,000,000 Pennsylvanians would lose health care, and 100,000 will lose their jobs. Countless working class, poor, and Black families are going to once again find themselves one illness away from bankruptcy or death.

The protesters convened to protect the health and well-being of all people—including marginalized groups such as immigrants, people of color, minimum wage workers, and the LGBTQ community. Protesters also challenged Trump’s executive actions to build a border wall with Mexico, defund sanctuary cities, and curb immigration from Muslim countries. “This is not an agenda that represents the people. We are a nation of immigrants and diverse communities that only make this country stronger. We reject President Trump’s platform of fear and intolerance and are united in defense of our communities,” said Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director at the Center for Popular Democracy.

Endorsing Organizations include: One Pennsylvania, ACT UP Philadelphia, Center for Popular Democracy, Put People First! PA, Housing Works, Make the Road PA, Make the Road NJ, Make the Road NY, New York Communities for Change, POWER, Rise and Resist, 215 People’s Alliance, PASNAP, Working Families Party, UFCW 1776, SEIU Healthcare PA, Fight for 15, Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement and 1199 SEIU.

Protesters demanded that lawmakers:

1. Improve, not repeal, the Affordable Care Act;

2. Reject Medicaid vouchers;

3. Protect senior citizens;

4. Say no to slashing $1 trillion from state funding for Medicaid, which will cut coverage and raise out-of-pocket costs for the 73 million working families, seniors, and persons with disabilities who rely on Medicaid;

5. Lower prescription drug costs by using Medicare and Medicaid to negotiate better deals with drug corporations

“Any attempts to take away our health care will be met with stiff resistance,” Salewa Ogunmefun, Political Director for One Pennsylvania. “We will not stand for a Republican agenda that perpetuates greed and division at the expense of insuring millions of our most vulnerable citizens. Today we made it clear that we will continue to stand together in the face of this injustice. We will not go backwards.”

Photos of the protest can be found in the Box link here: http://populardemocracy.box.com/v/resistanceinphilly

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www.populardemocracy.org

Center for Popular Democracy promotes equity, opportunity, and a dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across the country. CPD builds the strength and capacity of democratic organizations to envision and advance a pro-worker, pro-immigrant, racial justice agenda.

Contact: Autumn Dunn, adunn@populardemocracy.org 347-985-2220, ext 137