Contact: Michael Heenan
202-577-3941
AFT’s Weingarten Lauds Citizen Action of Wisconsin Launch
WASHINGTON—On Thursday, American Federation of
Teachers President Randi Weingarten released the following statement regarding
the launch of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, a new issue-focused coalition of individuals
and organizations committed to achieving social, economic and environmental
justice:
“The launch of Citizen Action of
Wisconsin, the grass-roots coalition organizing in Wisconsin to protect and
improve access to affordable healthcare, stands in stark contrast to what Paul
Ryan, Donald Trump and the Senate GOP leadership are doing to healthcare—first,
passing a House bill that even the president now calls ‘mean,’ and, now,
crafting a bill in the Senate behind closed doors that will strip millions of
Americans of their healthcare in order to give tax cuts to the wealthy.
“Citizen Action is taking a far
different approach, one that respects the will of the people, launching a
60-day drive of face-to-face conversations with community members whose
coverage under the Affordable Care Act would be compromised if the GOP repeal
bill becomes law. This is the way things should be done: soliciting ideas
through an inclusive, transparent, grass-roots-driven process. Republicans in
the Senate could learn a lot from our friends at Citizen Action of Wisconsin.”
Candice Owley, president of the
Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, added the following
statement on the launch:
“Our fight for high-quality,
affordable healthcare didn’t begin with Obamacare and it won’t end with any
version of Trumpcare. We’ve partnered with Citizen Action to create an
alternative, a ‘Healthcare for All’ Co-op. This partnership brings together the
voices of doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and patients to transform
our healthcare system. We know from the work our members do inside our
communities that individuals want their voices to be heard, not shut out.
Lawmakers should work together with those most severely affected by healthcare
reform, to help fix what’s broken but also maintain the benefits the ACA has
afforded them. Working behind closed doors in Washington is not the answer.
Together, we can build a better healthcare system—one that is centered on
providing high-quality care, not on turning profits. Every responsible
legislator in the country who shares the vision of affordable healthcare should
join our movement.”
Follow AFT President Randi Weingarten:
http://twitter.com/rweingarten
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.