Members of the Patriotic Millionaires did not mince their words as they reacted to the Senate version of Trumpcare. Who are the Patriotic Millionaires?
The Patriotic Millionaires is a group of 200 high-net-worth Americans who are committed to building a more prosperous, stable, and inclusive nation. The group focuses on promoting public policy solutions that encourage political equality; guarantee a sustaining wage for working Americans; and ensure that millionaires, billionaires, and corporations pay a greater percentage of taxes. You can find out more at http://patrioticmillionaires.org/about/
The following statements from some their members say it all.
“We have a majority of Republican senators who continue to worship at the alter of disproven trickle-down economics who believe that those who need government assistance are simply not trying hard enough or that giving tax cuts to the wealthy will solve all problems.”
Washington, DC – This afternoon, following the Congressional Budget Office’s scoring of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the Patriotic Millionaires sounded off in their own words:
“On one side you have the most conservative senators who think the government should not be in the healthcare business and those who cannot get treatment will die. That’s a respectable position even if we disagree. At the other end you have a more compassionate point of view that says the government must address this problem. But in the middle, unfortunately, we have a majority of Republican senators who continue to worship at the alter of disproven trickle down economics who believe that those who need government assistance are simply not trying hard enough or that giving tax cuts to the wealthy will solve all problems. There is simply no defensible ideology behind that point of view. I would urge anyone dying because of a lack of access to healthcare to die on the doorstep of one of these senators,” said Patriotic Millionaire Joshua Kanter
“Leaving aside that passage of this bill might be the first time in American History that a significant “right” and “benefit” conveyed to the American People was then revoked, and leaving aside that doing so violates President Trump’s own campaign pledge to “provide affordable health insurance to all Americans”, the real travesty of this legislation is that it will leave millions and millions of needy Americans without coverage so that Republicans can pay for a tax cut that will benefit the most wealthy Americans who need it least. I cannot imagine a more heartless way of governing, which is only made worse by the conscious attempt to obfuscate what is really being done and try to sell this to the American people as health care reform,” said Patriotic Millionaire Joel Kanter
“America needs healthy workers, and to be healthy, they need health care for themselves and their families. Gutting coverage, as this bill does, will lead to deaths due to lack of coverage, and the legislators who vote this in are mercenary murderers, contracted and paid for by the insurance companies and ultra rich,” said Patriotic Millionaire Blaine Garst
“This so-called health care bill is appalling. It is morally bankrupt. Not only that, it will result in countless Americans becoming literally bankrupt, unable to support themselves, participate in the economy, or afford basic medical care. Taking health care away from millions of people just to give millionaires, billionaires, and health insurance companies a huge tax cut is un-American and cruel. As wealthy Americans, we want nothing to do with a tax cut, one that we don’t need, that comes at the expense of millions of other Americans. If the members of the Senate are concerned about what is best for all of their constituents, not just their wealthy donors, they will do the right thing and reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of Patriotic Millionaires and former managing director at BlackRock Inc.
“Over two hundred years ago this country became Independent of the whims of privileged and tyrannical men who callously altered the lives of countless people in order to line their own pockets and maintain power. Any bill that tramples the basic principles of our Independence, of our great country, is despicable and un-American. No tax cuts for the rich until all Americans have access to real health care. As a Patriotic Millionaire, I say let’s put this country first on July 4th! No tax cuts for the rich until everyone has real, affordable health care,” said Patriotic Millionaire Friedrike Merck
“Mitch McConnell is trying to ram the AHCA through the Senate before the July 4 recess in the hopes that in this short time the American people will fail to notice a simple fact: the purpose of this bill is not to improve health care, it is to take money from medicare recipients in order to fund a tax cut for the rich. McConnell trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people is appalling. But what would be more appalling is if we fell for it (again),” said Patriotic Millionaire Ron Garret
“Given the contents of the proposed Trumpcare bill, I can fully understand Senator McConnell’s desire to keep it a secret. This bill is a grievous insult to the American people and it puts us even farther behind other civilized nations in providing for the welfare of our citizens. Perhaps a more appropriate name for the bill would be TrumpCaresLess,” said Patriotic Millionaire Dick Gary
The Patriotic Millionaires have aggressively lobbied for months against this disingenuous “health care reform”, which strips the most sick and vulnerable Americans of care in order to pay for a tax cut for those who need it least. This CBO score, predicting that 22 million Americans will lose health insurance over the next decade, only confirms what was already clear: the supporters of the BCRA and the House’s AHCA have disturbingly misplaced priorities. As wealthy Americans who would prefer living in a healthy society over yet another tax cut for millionaires, the Patriotic Millionaires have spoken out time and time again to say they neither need nor want another tax cut, especially one that comes at the expense of American lives. Their voices have been featured in outlets such as the Wisconsin Gazette, Forbes, The Tennessean, The Hill, the Lebanon Democrat, and Politicus USA.