Yesterday, the Center for Popular Democracy brought over a thousand people together in Washington D.C. to protest the Republican plan to take healthcare from an estimated 24 million Americans. This afternoon, March 24, Republicans pulled their bill from the floor.

With today's failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act, we see the fruits of our resistance. And while many battles lie ahead - including the ongoing fight to defend and extend our recent gains on healthcare - today's vote marks a crucial step for working families, in particular the 24 million who would have lost coverage under Trump/RyanCare.

The #WeFightBack rally and march included CPD affiliates: New York Communities for Change, One Pennsylvania, CASA, New Virginia Majority, Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement (DACA), Maryland Communities United, Make the Road New York, Make the Road New Jersey, Make the Road Connecticut and Make the Road Pennsylvania, and allies Health Care for America Now (HCAN), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, PICO, SEIU, People’s Action, and many others.

Together, members of the CPD Network marched to the White House to ramp up pressure on President Donald Trump to halt his plans to take health care from American who need it most. Along the way, we staged a die-in in front of Trump International Hotel to highlight the serious consequences of the Republican repeal bill. Symbolizing the 24 million people who would lose their health insurance under this repeal, 24 of our brothers and sisters were arrested after refusing to cede their ground in front of the White House.

The livestream by our sister organization, CPD Action, reached 790,000 Facebook timelines and, trending online, #WeFightBack appeared 2.3 million times on Twitter. You can check out photos from the day’s events on our Facebook page.

The fight for healthcare is just one battle in what will be a long road ahead to protect our liberty from the billionaires and hatemongers that seek to divide us. #WeFightBack will continue to hold President Trump accountable for his infringement upon our freedom and will remain guided by this belief: Through our collective action we will transform America into a country where everyone is entitled to dignity, every worker earns a living wage, where #BlackLivesMatter, no human is illegal, and most importantly, where everyone has the freedoms promised by our Constitution.

In solidarity,

Jennifer Epps-Addison
Network President & Co-Executive Director