*Protesters in wheelchairs interrupted Tuesday’s hearing on the Graham-Cassidy health care bill, the GOP’s latest attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Many of the them were dragged out of the building by Capitol Police.
Watch below:
Wow. pic.twitter.com/VOlQHBksPy
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 25, 2017
Disability rights groups and health care advocates lined the hallways of the Capitol building ahead of the Senate Finance Committee hearing, in the hopes of securing a spot inside the chamber. Bill co-sponsor Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina and Senator Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, were scheduled to testify on the panel.
But the boisterous protests forced Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch to recess the hearing just moments after it began. Hatch told the protesters, “If you want a hearing you better shut up!” It fell on deaf ears as the protests continued.
Hatch ultimately decided to shut the hearing down, saying it would resume when order was restored. That’s when police began removing the protesters one by one,
Watch below:
The forced removal of the protesters created a surreal moment on CNN and MSNBC, as the footage was shown split screen with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defending President Trump’s call for the firing of NFL players expressing their first amendment right to peaceful protest.
Jarring to watch @SarahHuckabee defend POTUS calling NFL players SOB’s alongside images of disabled HC protestors dragged out of Capital.
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) September 25, 2017
The protesters you’re seeing now include HIV/AIDS activists from Florida. Healthcare is a matter of literal life and death to them.
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 25, 2017
Watching split screen. On one—Sarah Sanders: “We have not declared war on North Korea.” On other—video of wheelchair protesters carried out.
— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) September 25, 2017
The Graham-Cassidy hearing comes as Senate Republicans pursue a last-ditch effort to pass legislation to repeal and replace “Obamacare.” They appear to be short of votes ahead of a make-or-break deadline at the end of this week.
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