March, 08 2017, 10:00am EDT
ACLU Statement on Congress' First Steps to Repeal Obamacare
WASHINGTON
Two congressional committees are advancing legislation today to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This is the first concrete step Congress is taking to not only repeal the ACA but to defund Planned Parenthood and fundamentally restructure the Medicaid program. The legislation, which was only made public Monday evening and has not been vetted in a single congressional hearing, may proceed to a floor vote in the House this month.
ACLU National Political Director Faiz Shakir issued the following statement:
"What we know is that millions of people will be hurt by the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including women, people with disabilities, communities of color, low-income individuals and families, and anyone seeking reproductive health care.
"What we don't know is exactly how many millions will be impacted because we do not even have an official budget analysis yet. It is simply irresponsible for any member of Congress to vote on this bill with so little information and opportunity for public debate.
"The ACA has played an important role in ending discriminatory policies and practices. It increased access to health care for underserved populations, making health care coverage fairer and more equitable.
"Dismantling this law is inhumane and will threaten the health and well-being of those most in need."
This statement is online here:
https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-statement-congress-first-steps-repeal-obamacare
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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Dec 10, 2024
Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Tuesday again blocked the passage of House-approved bipartisan legislation meant to shield journalists and telecommunications companies from being compelled to disclose sources and other information to federal authorities.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) brought the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (PRESS) Act—which would prohibit the federal government from forcing journalists and telecom companies to disclose certain information, with exceptions for terroristic or violent threats—for a unanimous consent vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued Tuesday that passing the PRESS Act is "more important now than ever before when we've heard some in the previous administration talk about going after the press in one way or another," a reference to Republican President-elect Donald Trump's threats to jail journalists who refuse to reveal the sources of leaks. Trump, who has referred to the press as the "enemy of the people," repeatedly urged Senate Republicans to "kill this bill."
Cotton, who blocked a vote on the legislation in December 2022, again objected to the bill, a move that thwarted its speedy passage. The Republican called the legislation a "threat to national security" and "the biggest giveaway to the liberal press in American history."
The advocacy group Defending Rights and Dissent lamented that "Congress has abdicated their responsibility to take substantive steps to protect the constitutional right to a free press."
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Trump has picked Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She has stated that it must be "made unsafe" for hospitals to provide trans care, and frequently shares Libs of TikTok posts. She intends to target trans people in blue states. Subscribe to support my journalism.
[image or embed]
— Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) December 10, 2024 at 8:14 AM
Reed continued:
Dhillon's most prominent work includes founding the Center for American Liberty, a legal organization that focuses heavily on anti-transgender cases in blue states. The organization's "featured cases" section highlights several lawsuits, such as Chloe Cole's case against Kaiser Permanente; a lawsuit challenging a Colorado school's use of a transgender student's preferred name; a case against a California school district seeking to implement policies that would forcibly out transgender students; and a lawsuit against Vermont for denying a foster care license to a family unwilling to comply with nondiscrimination policies regarding transgender youth.
Reed also highlighted Dhillon's attacks on state laws protecting transgender people, as well as her expression of "extreme anti-trans views" on social media—including calling gender-affirming healthcare for trans children "child abuse."
Last year, The Guardian's Jason Wilson reported that the Center for American Liberty made a six-figure payment to a public relations firm that represented Dhillion in both "her capacity as head of her own for-profit law firm and Republican activist."
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