WASHINGTON –U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement on Thursday after voting against Congressional Republicans’ FY2017 budget resolution, which sets the stage for repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and stripping health coverage from up to 30 million Americans. As a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Murphy has repeatedly called on Congressional Republicans to stop their dangerous crusade to repeal the ACA and to work in a bipartisan way to improve the law. Earlier this week, Murphy spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to highlight the life-saving protections the ACA has provided Connecticut residents, such as Josh Scussell of Guilford, Isabelle and Rylan Endicott of Unionville, and Jonathan Miller of Meriden.

“The enthusiasm of Republicans in Congress for taking away health insurance from millions of Americans is unfathomable,” said Murphy. “Repealing the ACA with no plan for replacement will hurt tens of millions of people in very real ways. Like Josh in Guilford, who’s in remission from stage-4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; little Rylan in Unionville, who was born with a congenital heart disease; and Jon in Meriden, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. The ACA has saved their lives, and millions more have health care now because of it.


Murphy continued, “I don’t understand what the rush is. Why do this kind of damage to people and repeal the health care law right now? I’ll keep making that case and continue fighting this repeal every single step of the way.”

In the effort to protect the Affordable Care Act and its life-saving protections, Murphy introduced and sponsored several amendments to the Republicans’ FY2017 budget resolution. Last week, Murphy joined U.S. Senator Tim Kaine in introducing an amendment that would have prevented the Senate from considering fast-track legislation that increases health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs for Americans, reduces the number of Americans with health coverage, or reduces the benefits provided by private health insurers. The amendments were rejected by Senate Republicans.

Murphy also cosponsored a number of other amendments, including those listed below, all of which were rejected by Senate Republicans.

  • An amendment led by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) to prevent any changes to the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, or private insurance coverage that would result in lower coverage, reduced benefits, or higher costs for children
  • An amendment led by U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to protect health coverage for the 11 million Americans who rely on Medicaid for coverage and protect that ability of states like Connecticut to expand Medicaid
  • An amendment led by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to protect women’s access to health care by preventing legislation that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against women, reduce the number of women enrolled in health insurance coverage, or reduce the health care benefits women are eligible to receive under the Affordable Care Act.