Reps. Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry Prioritize Billionaire Tax Breaks Over Reversing Health Care Cuts, Forcing a Government Shutdown

PENNSYLVANIA - Today, the U.S. government shut down due to the inaction of Republicans in Congress, including Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and Scott Perry (PA-10). This shutdown comes after a Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a funding bill earlier this month that failed to reverse their devastating health care cuts for working families and permanently extend health care tax credits.

“Republicans in Congress, including Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry would rather shut down the government than stop health insurance premiums from going up. Instead of reversing cuts to Medicaid or making health care tax credits permanent, they are willing to increase costs on Pennsylvania families to maintain tax breaks for billionaires,” said Rachele Fortier, Campaign Director of Affordable Pennsylvania. “Communities across our Commonwealth will feel the impact. We are calling on Reps. Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry to stand with Pennsylvania families and stop making health care more expensive, and reopen the government.”

As many as 150,000 Pennsylvanians could lose health coverage next year if Congress fails to make the health care tax credits permanent, which ensure insurance is affordable for hundreds of thousands of residents. Monthly costs for Pennie enrollees are expected to increase by 82% on average. This year, Congressmen Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry have made continuous votes to attack Medicaid, which has resulted in devastating cuts that will rip care away from more than half a million Pennsylvanians, threaten hundreds of thousands of health care jobs, and will shutter rural hospitals across the Commonwealth.