We have to act fast. Five Democratic Members of Congress from New York are putting the brakes on President Obama's historic campaign to reform our broken healthcare system.
Legislation that would expand healthcare coverage for tens of millions of Americans is gaining steam in Congress. But these five New York Representatives are stalling the bill because it pays for reform with a modest tax on the rich.
This is our best chance for healthcare reform in a generation, but now these five Democratic Members of Congress are putting real reform in jeopardy - even though less than 1% of all New Yorkers would be affected by the tax. Healthcare is too important to sit on sidelines.
President Obama said on Tuesday: "some will try to delay action until the special interests can kill it."
He's right. The President has brought us closer to universal healthcare than this country has ever been. We can't afford to waste this chance for real reform.
But without proper funding, providing quality, affordable healthcare for everyone is impossible. The simplest, fairest way to achieve that goal is by asking those who enjoyed billions in tax cuts during the Bush years to pay their fair share. Republicans smear Obama's healthcare campaign every day, but with a big Democratic majority in the House and 60 Democrats in the Senate, it's Democratic opposition that could really derail healthcare reform.
This is what the Working Families Party was made for - holding politicians accountable when the big fights are on the line. And nothing could be bigger than the President's drive for real healthcare reform.
- text of email sent by WFP Executive Director, Dan Cantor
* Nita Lowey (18th-Rockland & Westchester Counties)
Dan Maffei (25th-Central NY)
Eric Massa (29th-Western NY)
Mike McMahon (13th-Staten Island)
Scott Murphy (20th-Capital Region)
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