Cramer Complicit in Hiding Secret Health Care Repeal Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2017
Cramer Complicit in Hiding Secret Health Care Repeal Bill
Cramer working with leadership to hide the bill from North Dakotans and other members of Congress
(BISMARCK, ND) – House Republicans announced last week that they drafted language of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They announced further that they would keep it a secret and only release details to Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which includes Congressman Cramer. The public, as well as Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democratic lawmakers, have been kept in the dark as to the bill’s contents, and members on the committee, including Cramer, have been complicit in hiding it from others.
Cramer held two weeks ago a secret meeting in Bismarck with another congressman from the Energy and Commerce Committee—who Cramer referred to as “one of the prime architects of the repeal and replace legislation”—where they discussed aspects of the health reform repeal law. Reporters were only allowed into the meeting for 15 minutes of what was reported as a meeting that lasted two hours.
“Kevin Cramer is complicit in hiding from the public the House’s health care repeal bill—a bill which every member of his committee is able to view,” said Robert Haider, North Dakota Democratic-NPL Executive Director. “Why is he so afraid to talk about the bill at an event in North Dakota with, as he said, ‘one of the prime architects’ of the bill? North Dakotans have expressed their frustration and fears to Congressman Cramer about how the repeal of the healthcare law would impact them and, rather than hide the repeal bill’s contents in secrecy, he should be open with us. What is so dangerous about this secret legislation that makes Congressman Cramer so afraid to share it with the public and lawmakers from both parties? He owes it to the people of North Dakota to come clean about what’s in the bill rather than shrouding the process in secrecy.”
# # #