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Our hard work fighting Trumpcare is starting to pay off. A damning Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report yesterday certainly helped, but ultimately, it was your phone calls, your rallies, and your letters that forced the Senate Republicans to postpone a vote on their Healthcare bill until after the July 4^th congressional recess.

Republicans like John Culberson are in hot water with voters, and they are beginning to realize it.

According to the nonpartisan CBO, 22 million Americans would lose their coverage under Trumpcare 2.0.  And, the rest of us would pay six times more for a lot less coverage. A new study by the Commonwealth Fund showed that the Republican health plan would hurt Texas hospitals, costing them $38.4 billion over the next decade and likely leading to massive layoffs and decreased quality of care in our state.

At the Texas Medical Center along Main Street Houston, these layoffs are already beginning. Memorial Hermann just announced it will be laying off another 350 people. Earlier this year, CHI St. Luke’s laid off 620 people, and MD Anderson laid off 1,000 people. They are preparing for drastic cutbacks in payments for Affordable Health Care subsidies, Medicare, and Medicaid, and an increase in unreimbursed treatment of the uninsured.

Delaying this vote was a victory for the American people, but our battle to defend Obamacare is not over.  Your voices ARE being heard. We have to keep holding House and Senate Republicans accountable. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and I believe the American people deserve universal coverage at an affordable rate. I hope today was a turning point and Republicans will start reaching across the aisle to improve, not destroy, the American healthcare system.

I’ll keep fighting as long as we need to. I hope you’ll join me.