Lawmaker urges vigilance
The future of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and Medicare top the agenda
SAN JOSE – The political math at Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s office for the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act wasn’t advanced calculus: More than 900 callers opposed the bill. About 10 supported it.
On Saturday, Lofgren, a San Jose Democrat, said colleagues from both parties felt similar pressures to oppose the GOP health plan, which collapsed on Friday when GOP leaders couldn’t round up enough votes in the Republican-controlled House because of defections from both conservatives and moderates.
“What this fight showed is that when the American people speak up, they win,” Lofgren said at a spirited town-hall meeting with constituents. “We need to be vigilant.”
President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan might have suffered serious blows to their political mo-
mentum on their political and policy agendas, but the largely partisan crowd at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors chambers seemed to feel a sense of hope.
About 300 people came to the 90-minute meeting. The crowd greeted answers with applause. Punch lines got cheers. Some carried signs urging Trump’s impeachment, while others showed support for their foreign-born neighbors with placards in English, Spanish and Arabic.
Lofgren fielded questions on a range of issues, including health care, immigration, investigations into the president’s ties to Russia, and flooding in San Jose.
She warned that Ryan still remains committed to slashing Medicare and Medicaid. And she said she doubts Republicans will want to work across the aisle to improve Obamacare.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who served as the moderator, asked about the possibility of immigration reform and whether Democrats could hold back more aggressive enforcement and deportation.
Lofgren said the effort would have to come from several layers to fight improper screening and actions by immigration agents. “We’re going to have to be in litigation mode,” she said.
She also said she would introduce a resolution on Monday asking that Trump’s tax returns be released so that his administration’s possible connections to Russia and other business interests would finally be revealed.
“I’m in a fact-finding mode,” said Lofgren, a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee. She criticized Rep. Devin Nunes, a Central Valley Republican, for taking intelligence information to Trump before delivering it to his own committee.
The crowd gave Lofgren a standing ovation after the meeting — her third public gathering in recent weeks.
Stan and Cathy Rubin, retirees from San Jose, followed the health care battle in D.C. closely. They wanted to hear Lofgren deliver details about the fight over health care, the environment and tax reform. The couple has three children and seven grandchildren.
Cathy Rubin, a former high schoolteacher, said the issues are important to future generations. “I want our children and grandchildren to have a quality life,” she said.
Caprice Scarborough, a marketing director from San Jose, watched the health care debate with a personal stake in the income. Her brother was seriously ill and helped by Obamacare, she said.
“I’m frightened of what’s going to happen,” she said.
Although she’s relieved that the repeal effort failed, she said, she’s still worried about what comes next.