09.25.2020 / Statement

Statement: President Trump’s Executive Actions on Health Care: More Broken Promises and No Real Action

Washington, D.C. – Frederick Isasi, Families USA Executive Director, released the following statement on President Trump’s series of executive actions on health care.

Today’s announcement from the White House is more of the same: empty promises and false hope on matters of life and death.

These “executive actions” will not provide real relief because they don’t respond to the real-life experiences of families across America.  What is real: COVID-19 continuing to ravage communities across the country— jeopardizing the health and financial well-being of seniors, adults, children, and people with disabilities. What is real: surprise medical bills impacting thousands of families in America every day. What is real: high costs keeping lifesaving medications out of reach for too many families. What is real: President Trump and his allies in Congress rushing to confirm a Supreme Court justice who vows to tear down the Affordable Care Act, taking the guarantee of affordable, comprehensive coverage for millions of people with pre-existing conditions along with it.

It has been months—more than four to be exact—since the House put the needs of struggling families first by passing meaningful legislation to provide significant COVID-19 relief.  Meanwhile, Senate Republicans and the President have done nothing to actually help and continue to give lip service to addressing the most significant health and economic crisis this country has faced in a generation. Instead, they are continuing a years-long, deeply hateful, and partisan effort to destroy the Affordable Care Act.

More than 200,000 people are dead. Millions have lost their jobs and their health insurance. Seniors are dying alone in hospitals and nursing homes. Kids can’t go to school. Small businesses are closing for good. States are going into debt. And yet again, the White House is trying to claim credit for addressing the crisis without lifting a finger to help real people who are suffering.

Real action and leadership to address this pandemic are long overdue. It’s time for families to come first. It’s time to stop playing games and trying to score political points.  It’s time for Congress to pass comprehensive COVID-19 relief legislation before adjourning for a month-long recess.