Political Quotes

“This week we expect that our colleagues in the Senate will vote on the latest version of TrumpCare. Recently, I voted against a very similar bill because it will be a disaster for Oregonians and Americans. Under the Senate bill, millions of people--up to 22 million people--will lose coverage. Mr. Speaker, many of my constituents are rightly worried. One of those is Kalpana. Kalpana is caring for loved ones with cancer. As she put it recently, she is sandwiched by cancer. She manages intravenous chemo treatments for her 7-year-old son who is fighting leukemia. Presently, he is winning that fight. Her father has been through countless therapies in his decade-long battle with prostate cancer, which has now spread to his lymph nodes. Kalpana is amazing--our own local wonder woman. Fortunately, she can devote time and attention to her family's care without having to choose between paying for healthcare and paying for rent, food, and other basic necessities--for now. But after the House vote on TrumpCare, she said this: I feel like someone had punched me in the gut. Before the Affordable Care Act, families lived in fear that a cancer diagnosis or a heart attack would leave them in economic ruin and make them ineligible for insurance in the future. Early in my career, I worked at Legal Aid. I did financial counseling with clients who were struggling--often because they got sick with no insurance or because they had insurance that didn't cover them when they needed it.…”