Asian American senators blast GOP health plan, search for 3 GOP senators to vote conscience over tax breaks for the rich

SCREEN CAPTURE / MSNBC

Protestors blocked entry to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office after text of the GOP Senate health care bill was released Thursday. They were forcibly removed by capitol police.

SENATE REPUBLICANS today (June 22) unveiled their secret proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, AKA Trumpcare, and it ain't pretty.

The Better Care Reconciliation Act in a nutshell: Poor people will pay more for less health care. 

"The Senate Republican plan gives massive tax cuts to Trump’s billionaire friends while forcing millions of working Americans to pay more for less care," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois.

The Senate version was done in secrecy by 13 male senators with no input from Democrats or women senators. Senate leader Mitch McConnell said he would try to pass it before the July 4 recess. In contrast, Obamacare was passed only after a year of hearings and Republican amendments.

"It also guts Medicaid funding that new mothers, children, seniors, Veterans and people with disabilities rely on to lead full, happy and healthy lives," stated the Thai/American senator. "Does the President—do Republicans—truly believe this is the ‘single greatest health care plan in the history of the world?’ The American people certainly know it isn’t.”

“Health care is a right, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford coverage. Particularly for people living with serious diseases, Trumpcare sends a clear message – you’re on your own,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. “Americans with pre-existing conditions would suffer under Trumpcare. That’s why we will do everything we can to fight this mean bill.”

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., listed the disastrous impact of the proposed health plan. "This bill jeopardizes protections for those with health insurance through their job, putting nearly half of the country back at risk of going bankrupt if they get a serious illness or injury. It guts Medicaid, and threatens services for children with disabilities. It allows seniors to be charged more, making it harder to retire with dignity. It discriminates against survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. It limits access to tax credits for Californians to make health care more affordable. And Republicans passed this bill even while admitting they do not know how much it will cost, or how many tens of millions of Americans will lose coverage.

Although there are 52 Republican senators, It's not certain that Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnel has enough votes to pass the BCRA. The proposal needs 51 votes to pass but already some senators have expressed strong concerns about the bill. At least four senators representing the extreme right (Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin) said the proposal doesn't go far enough in dismantling the proposal. At least two GOP women senators (Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska) have said they would not vote for a plan that would defund Planned Parenthood.

Two Republican defectors would end up in a tie setting up the scenario where Vice President Mike Pence would cast the deciding vote. One guess which way he would vote.

Assuming Collins and Murkowski vote against the BCRA, there is need for one more brave Republican to break from party ranks. Is there one more GOP senator who would vote in favor of the people and not for tax breaks for the 1% and profit for Big Pharma and the healthcare insurance business? Just one more who will put country before party? Just one?

“This bill is not just about medicine or math— this is about morals," continued Indian/American lawmaker Harris. "Americans are counting on us to make their health care more affordable and accessible."

Sen. Brian Schatz (below) gave a convincing speech against the GOP proposal. He represents Hawaii, the state with the highest percentage of AAPI residents in the U.S.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier versions of this post did not include comments from Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii.

There will be more updates as we further study the GOP proposal. We'll give the last word to former President Obama, who continues to be the object of senseless hatred from the far right, whose name is attached to his signature piece of legislation -- Obamacare. One of Obama's flaws was his willingness to bend over backwards to appease conservatives. 

"I hope that our Senators, many of whom I know well, step back and measure what’s really at stake, and consider that the rationale for action, on health care or any other issue, must be something more than simply undoing something that Democrats did.

We didn’t fight for the Affordable Care Act for more than a year in the public square for any personal or political gain — we fought for it because we knew it would save lives, prevent financial misery, and ultimately set this country we love on a better, healthier course."

"[I]t remains my fervent hope that we step back and try to deliver on what the American people need.That might take some time and compromise between Democrats and Republicans. But I believe that’s what people want to see. I believe it would demonstrate the kind of leadership that appeals to Americans across party lines. And I believe that it’s possible — if you are willing to make a difference again. If you’re willing to call your members of Congress. If you are willing to visit their offices. If you are willing to speak out, let them and the country know, in very real terms, what this means for you and your family."

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Trump picks Elaine Chao for Secretary of Transportation

Roll Call file photo

Elaine Chao campaigned with her husband Sen. Mitch McConnel during his reelection bid to represent Kentucky.

ELAINE CHAO, who was Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, has been named Transportation Secretary by President-elect Donald Trump, according an official with the transition.

Chao will be the second Asian/American to be added to Trump's team of advisers. Last week, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was nominated as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Chao’s parents were born in mainland China and later moved to Taiwan.  She came to the U.S. when she was only 8-years old and didn't speak English. During the early, transition period, “it was the kindness and the helping hands of strangers, who soon became neighbors and our friends, that helped us smooth our transition,” Chao told graduates at Indiana’s DePauw University in a 2002 address.

The nominations of Chao and Haley are pending, waiting for Senate confirmation early next year, although no one thinks the nominations will be turned down.

Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel, which - of course - had nothing to do with her nomination because she has had plenty of Washington experience of her own.

At the Transportation Department, Chao would have a key role in helping Trump get an infrastructure spending bill passed through Congress and start government-backed works projects -- a role likely to be complicated by her relationship with McConnell, who will also be a critical player in any infrastructure bill negotiations.

Before being named Labor Secretary by President George W. Bush, Chao was also assistant secretary of transportation under the first President Bush, so she - unlike some of her fellow nominees such as Haley - has some experience in the subject area to which she has been named.

Chao, who served from 2001-2009 the 24th as the Secretary of Labor, is the first Asian/American woman to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet in our nation’s history. She is the longest tenured Secretary of Labor since World War II, and the only member of President Bush’s original cabinet to have served the entire eight years of his Administration.

An immigrant who arrived in America at the age of eight speaking no English, Secretary Chao’s experience transitioning to a new country has motivated her to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to build better lives.

As the first U. S. Secretary of Labor in the 21st century, Chao focused on improving the competitiveness of America’s workforce by restructuring department programs to empower workers and modernizing regulations to respond to the realities of the 21st century workplace. Under her leadership, the U.S. Department of Labor achieved record results in protecting the health, safety, wages, and retirement security of the nation’s workforce.

Secretary Chao’s career spans the public, private and non-profit sectors. As President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of America, she restored public trust and confidence in one of our nation’s premier charitable institutions after it had been tarnished by financial mismanagement and abuse. As Director of the Peace Corps, she established the first programs in the newly liberated Baltic nations and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. 

Her government service also includes serving as Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, Deputy Maritime Administrator, and White House Fellow. Prior to her government service, she was Vice President of Syndications at BankAmerica Capital Markets Group and a banker with Citicorp in New York.

Chao has held a position as a distinguished fellow at the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation, in addition to conducting media appearances.

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