California Lawmakers Play Role In High-Stakes Health Care Debate
Local news outlets report on how members of California's U.S. House delegation could impact today's anticipated vote.
East Bay Times:
Where Do California Republicans Stand On The Health-Care Bill?
Of the 237 Republicans in the House, more than 30 of them have come flat-out against the proposed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. None is from California, a state that lately features a fairly milquetoast version of GOP reps in Congress. What California DOES have, at least as of Thursday afternoon as the sun settled over the Golden West, are five moderate GOP lawmakers who, according to the New York Times’ take on the Congressional pulse, are “undecided or unclear” about where they stand on the health-care bill. Particularly if conservative Republicans succeed in forcing changes to the House bill, these moderates can’t be taken for granted — they haven’t committed yet, and they may find the Freedom Caucus’ health care agenda too unpalatable to move from “undecided” to “yes.” (May, 3/23)
Los Angeles Times:
California's Doctors In Congress Both Laid Out Their Objections To The Healthcare Bill In Videos Today
While House Republicans spent the day Thursday trying to reach agreement among themselves on their healthcare bill and ended up delaying the vote that was scheduled to take place, Democrats have been using one of the few tools available to them to stop the bill: public perception. That meant press conferences, social media pleas for people to call Republican members and a lot of television appearances. (Wire, 3/23)
Capital Public Radio:
California Congressmen To Republicans: Take The Time Required To Fix Obama Care
California Congressmen from both sides of the aisle say lawmakers should take as much time as they need to get a health insurance bill passed that helps the most people. A vote on a Republican health care bill that would repeal and replace the existing system known as Obamacare could come Friday. The bill is being pushed by House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump. (Moffitt, 3/23)
Fresno Bee:
Clovis Protest Asks Nunes To Reject Affordable Care Act Repeal Law
More than three dozen people gathered outside the office of Rep. Devin Nunes in Clovis on Thursday, urging him to reject legislation that would end the Affordable Care Act. Kate Connor, 40, organized the protest as part of the Courage Campaign. She said similar protests were being held in six other districts in the state. The protest was organized on the seventh anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, and also on the day it was supposed to be repealed. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 3/23)
KPCC:
California Senator Kamala Harris On Health Care, The National Budget, And Investigating Russian Election Interference
It's been just over 4 months since California voters elected former Attorney General Kamala Harris as US Senator. Since then, there's been little time for rest. Harris serves on four senate committees, including two that have been working overtime... Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Senator Harris about how she's taking on the big issues in Washington DC. (Cross and Martinez, 3/23)