- Last week, the Senate and then the House passed a budget resolution that sets in motion their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2017.
- It is now up to authorizing committees to draft legislation which repeals the law. We expect to see this legislation voted on by the first full week of February.
- Several Republicans in the last week have claimed that they do not plan to vote to repeal the ACA without a replacement. However, no one has introduced or announced a replacement plan.
- A repeal bill by the Republicans would eliminate the individual and employer mandates as well as the Medicaid expansion. This is based on repeal bills introduced in previous sessions of Congress.
- Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid. Repeal of this provision alone would impact an estimated 11 million low-income Americans.
- Last week, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Reps. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) reintroduced the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy (BRIDGE) Act, which would provide temporary relief from deportation and work authorization to undocumented youth who qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
- Many of these individuals, (commonly referred to as “DREAMers”) were brought to the U.S. as children. The law would allow DREAMers to legally work and study in the U.S. More than 741,000 individuals are currently protected by DACA and would be impacted if it were rescinded by executive order under the Trump administration.
Act Now!
Call and urge your senators and representative (800-826-3688) to co-sponsor the BRIDGE Act. Rescinding DACA before passage of the BRIDGE Act would not only have devastating effects on young adults and their families, but would also hurt our economy. Through DACA, more than 741,000 individuals have been able to contribute to our society and their communities.
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