
California Governor Jerry Brown warned Thursday that the Republican members of the states congressional delegation would have to perform penance for having voted for the American Health Care Act in the U.S. House.
Last weeks vote on the bill was the first step towards repealing (most of) Obamacare and replacing it with a more market-oriented health insurance system that would, supporter say, lower premiums and create better competition.
Every one of Californias 14 Republicans voted for the bill, which now proceeds to the Senate. (Both of Califorinas U.S. Senators are Democrats.) Governor Brown and the rest of Californias statewide leadership, all of whom are Democrats, oppose the repeal of Obamacare partly because the state has used the law to obtain federal funds, which in turn were used to expand Medi-Cal, the states Medicaid program, to millions of lower-income households.
The state would lose $20 billion in federal funding if Congress votes to undo the exchanges and the Medicaid expansions, according to state data, according to a Los Angeles Times report in November. Obamacare has not been a success in California, but it has generally been less unsuccessful in the Golden State than elsewhere, partly because the Obama administration saw Californias program as a flagship, and the program enjoys voters support.
Brown, who once considered a career in the Catholic priesthood, warned Republicans, according to the Times: They werent sent to Congress just to take orders from that crowd, or from Donald Trump
I think they made a mistake, and theyre going to have to do penance for it.
Brown, who once considered a career in the Catholic priesthood, warned Republicans, according to the Times: They werent sent to Congress just to take orders from that crowd, or from Donald Trump
I think they made a mistake, and theyre going to have to do penance for it.
The context for Browns remarks was the release of his new spending plan, which set a record, proposing a record $183.4 in spending, despite some caution.