On the heels of the Senate's narrow vote on Tuesday to proceed with debate on legislation that could leave tens of millions more Americans without insurance, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) greeted protestors on the steps of the capitol and denounced Republicans' efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act as an attack on "our basic humanity."
"The power is not in there. The power is out here. The power is with the people."
—Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Warren also took aim at the Senate GOP's secretive tactics and their repeated refusal to face up to the American public following the vote.
"Where are the Republicans? Hiding," Warren said. "How many Republicans are out here to talk to their constituents? How many Republicans are out there to answer to the American people why they want to take healthcare away from millions of people who need it?"
Warren concluded by urging constituents to continue mobilizing in the days ahead, as Senate Republicans are set to vote on several different versions of Trumpcare, including a "repeal and delay" proposal and possibly the so-called "skinny repeal," which would scrap Obamacare's individual mandate.
"The power is not in there," Warren said, pointing to the Capitol building. "The power is out here. The power is with the people."
Watch Warren's speech below:
"We know what's at stake is our basic humanity"
— Jeff Stein (@JStein_Vox) July 25, 2017
In fiery speech on Capitol steps, Sen. Warren accuses Republican Senators of hiding --> pic.twitter.com/CVtoEC1TtM
Shortly following Warren's speech on Tuesday, the "most comprehensive" version of Trumpcare fell to defeat by a wide margin. The Senate is set to vote Wednesday on the so-called "repeal and delay" plan, which the CBO estimated would leave 32 million more Americans uninsured.
As Common Dreams has reported, Warren has been one of several former and current Democratic lawmakers to speak publicly in favor of expanding Medicare to cover all Americans.
Single payer, the Massachusetts senator said last month, is "the next step."
