WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, dozens of protesters staged a “die-in” – blocking the hallway in front of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office – to protest against the Republican Party’s new healthcare reform bill, the American Healthcare Act (AHCA).
Video of the protesters was captured by the Washington Post and placed, via live stream, on its YouTube channel.
Security had to drag protesters away from McConnell’s office.
According to the Washington Post, “the sit-in was organized by ADAPT, which advocates for people with disabilities and brought several dozen protesters to Capitol Hill on Thursday.”
One of the female protesters who was taken away by police could be heard chanting nonstop, “No cuts to Medicaid!”
According to Axios, McConnell has indicated that he intends to vote on the repeal and replacement of the Obamacare bill before the July 4 recess so that Congress can proceed to focus on other critical issues like tax reform and the budget when they return.
The protests coincided with the GOP-controlled Senate’s release of their version of the healthcare bill, which was made public to the American people on Thursday. The Democrats used the Twitter hashtag #ShowUsTheBill several days before to protest what they referred to as the “mystery” bill.
However, the Senate’s release of the bill on Thursday contradicted that rhetoric and placed a shining spotlight on the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party.
In 2009, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.”
Breitbart News reported Thursday:
The Senate features more generous tax credits for low-income and older Americans, a slower rollback of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, and retains many of Obamacare’s taxes.
Senate leadership attempted to write a more generous version of health care reform compared to the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA). The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported that the House-passed AHCA would cause 23 million Americans to lose health insurance over the next ten years while reducing the deficit by $119 billion.
Prior to Thursday’s “die-in” in front of McConnell’s offices, protesters on the opposite coast held a “die-in” in San Francisco on Wednesday.
Similar die-ins have occurred throughout the nation in recent weeks:
Another die-in is planned for Friday in front of the office of Senator Rob Portman (R-OH).
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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