Like all holy rollers, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s actions are far away from the teachings of Jesus or universal tenants of compassion toward neighbors that all mainstream religions profess.
Johnson continued his hypocrisy this week by sending House members home a day early to avoid voting on a bipartisan measure to extend the Affordable Care Act-Biden/Harris subsidies passed during the ending phase of the Coronavirus.
The Speaker’s maneuver will cause health insurance rates to spike up for 24 million Americans with four million deciding to opt out of getting insurance.
Wish one of the mainstream reporters on the House beat who hound Johnson would ask him the question, “How is increasing health care insurance rates for people who are struggling to put food on the table, pay the electric bill, and buy the kids Christmas presents, Christian?”
Johnson sending members home to avoid voting on bills that would be embarrassing to him, his anti-health care House Republican colleagues, and his true God and master, Donald Trump, has been a reoccurring trend this year.
Remember his keeping House members home for over a month to avoid swearing in Adelita Grijalva and voting on the Epstein discharge petition.
While Arizona Republican Representatives like Juan Ciscomani and Eli Crane sat on their hands, voted for an anti-people-first health insurance measure under the guise of lower premiums for junk insurance, and allowed Johnson to adjourn without one word of protest, members of Arizona’s Democratic Congressional Delegation were quick to pounce on Johnson’s move to screw millions of Americans.
Appearing together, Arizona Representatives Yassamin Ansari and Adelita Grijalva, with fellow Representatives Emily Randall and James Walkinshaw, voiced their opposition to Johnson and the Affordable Care Act adverse House Republicans running like hell from Congress to hold a vote.
Representative Ansari said that her constituents could not wait for Congress to vote to extend the subsidies, stating:
“Hell no. I’ve been getting calls for months in my office. People are horrified about their health insurance premiums doubling or tripling. They are just baffled at the fact that the Republican Party has no plan on health care and doesn’t want to do anything about this.”
Representative Grijalva echoed Ansari, saying:
“Absolutely not. Not only is it the individual impact for pocketbooks. But we have to think about a lot of our rural hospitals and medical systems that are completely overwhelmed already, let alone with people that are walking in with emergencies and preventive care. Needs that are going to be happening every day because they don’t get to talk to a doctor on a regular basis.”
In a social media post, Representative Greg Stanton called what Johnson did “Unacceptable” and the bill to extend the Biden/Harris Affordable Care Act subsidies “Needs to get to the House floor, not next year…right now. Today. Mike Johnson…Put this bill that has the votes. Put it on the floor so the American People have a fighting chance to keep health care affordable.”
Senator Mark Kelly posted:
JoAnna Mendoza, the Democratic House Candidate looking to defeat Mr. Ciscomani in 2026, railed against the CD Six incumbents’ support for a Republican only supported health care reform measure that only enriches insurance companies and does not help people, telling the Tucson Sentinel:
“Juan Ciscomani just voted to make health care more expensive during the holidays when people need it the most. This plan does not protect Medicaid. It does not extend the ACA tax credits. It’s time for a new Congress that will actually put American families at the center of every policy decision.”
Jonathan Nez, the Democratic House Candidate seeking to retire Eli Crane, posted:
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