Rep. Sykes Votes Against Gutting Healthcare for 17 Million Americans, Raising Energy Costs on Families

Rep. Sykes Votes Against Gutting Healthcare for 17 Million Americans, Raising Energy Costs on Families

WATCH: Rep. Sykes to Rules Committee: "It does not need to be this way. We do not need to cut healthcare for millions, hospitals do not have to close, and people do not need to lose their jobs."

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) voted against the Reconciliation bill on the House floor, which passed with a vote of 218 to 214. This bill will cause 17 million people to lose healthcare coverage through slashing Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, add $3.4 trillion to the national deficit, cause an estimated 5 million Americans to lose nutrition assistance, and add an average of $400 to energy bills annually. Now the bill will travel to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.

Rep. Sykes introduced six amendments to the reconciliation bill that was marked up in the U.S. House Committee on Rules, all of which were voted down on a partyline vote. Rep. Sykes has strongly pushed back on Republican attempts to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and ACA coverage and has implored her colleagues to work across the aisle to put together a budget that lowers costs, improves opportunity, and expands access to health care.

"This bill eliminates healthcare for 17 million Americans, explodes the deficit, cuts nutrition assistance for veterans and seniors, and raises energy bills by hundreds of dollars a year. It's a travesty and my Republican colleagues are celebrating," said Rep. Sykes.

"There was no Republican mandate to kick our grandmothers out of nursing homes," the Congresswoman continued. "Every American should be concerned about slashing Medicaid because it will cause hospitals to close. And in districts like mine, where the hospital system is the largest employer, this bill will be devastating for our local economy. The American people will not forget that Republicans in Congress raised prices, supported layoffs, and cut essential services to give a $1 trillion tax cut to billionaires."

The cuts to Medicaid are expected to negatively impact hospitals, causing services to be cut and hospitals to close. This will have far reaching effects on the local economy as hospital systems are the largest employer in Ohio's 13th Congressional District, employing roughly 30,000 people throughout the District.

Among the many harmful policies included in this bill, this legislation will:

• Increase the national deficit by $3.4 trillion;
• Gut Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act healthcare coverage for 17 million people, including 489,815 Ohioans who will be kicked off their health insurance;
• Close an estimated one out of four nursing homes nationwide, putting the 41 at-risk nursing homes in Ohio in danger of closing;
• Raise health care costs for millions of Americans, including increasing premiums by an average of $720 for some of the 583,000 Ohioans who are covered by the Affordable Care Act;
• Close hospitals and reduce services, including putting 11 rural hospitals in Ohio at risk of closure;
• Cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, causing at least 98,000 Ohioans to lose some or all of their food assistance;
• Defund cancer screenings, wellness exams, and STI screenings at Planned Parenthood's, including at the Akron clinic, one of the most active Planned Parenthood clinics in Ohio;
• Raise energy bills by an average of $410 per household annually;
• Eliminate 37,000 manufacturing and energy jobs in Ohio;
• Rescind unobligated funds used to hire national park service employees, further harming Cuyahoga Valley National Park which has already seen a reduction of staff due to cuts made by the Trump Administration.