Jewish Lawmakers To Follow Party Line In Major Healthcare Vote

Image by wikimedia commons

By Nathan Guttman March 22, 2017

The House of Representatives is set to vote Thursday on the American Health Care Act, also known as “Trumpcare,” “Ryancare,” or the “repeal and replace” bill, and Jewish members of Congress are breaking strictly by party line in what could be a tight vote.

All 20 Jewish Democrats in the House are expected to deliver a “no” vote, as will their other party members.

The two Jewish Republicans are also seen as safe vote for their party.

New York’s Lee Zeldin has made clear in a letter to constituents that he is supportive of the bill that would “provide relief from the significant amount of taxes and mandates enacted under the ACA.” Zeldin stressed, however, that there “must be a smooth transition to a better reality that will improve affordability, access, quality of care and option.”

Tennessee’s freshman Republican congressman David Kustoff, who is also Jewish, is still learning the “final product” of the legislation, according to local WKRN but his statements indicate support of the bill.

Neither Zeldin nor Kustoff are listed on any Republican whip list as potentially opposing the bill.

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected]

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO