Ohio Clergy Denounce Senator Portman’s Support for 7-year Rollback of Medicaid Expansion
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 8, 2017
CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202)735-7123
Amanda Hoyt, ahoyt@faithinpubliclife.org, (614)483-3168
Ohio Clergy Denounce Senator Portman’s Support for 7-year rollback of Medicaid Expansion
Columbus, Ohio — GOP moderates in the Senate are open to ending federal funding for ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion, but want a longer deadline for ending the additional funding than their leadership has proposed. Sen. Rob Portman and others have proposed a seven-year phase-out or “glide path” of federal funding for the Medicaid expansion, beginning in 2020 and ending in 2027. In light of this development, Columbus faith leaders have released the following statement.
Bishop Tony Minor, Community of Faith Assembly, Cleveland, OH:
“Sen. Portman’s Medicaid expansion proposal is sad, immoral and unbiblical. Our Lord says that the poor will always be with us — even after seven years. Clearly we need a moral revival in the nation. We need not play politics with hard working yet underemployed individuals who have benefited from the expansion.”
Rev. Kate Shaner, First Community Church, Columbus, OH:
“Using “glide path” to describe Senator Portman’s plan is a feeble attempt to re-brand the amoral idea of taking health care from our most vulnerable citizens. Actually, what he proposes is to balance budgets on the backs of those we, as faithful people, are commanded to care for. Senator Portman could better spend his time actually speaking to his constituents and collaboratively creating systems that improve their lives instead of being consistently unavailable to those who remain afraid and unsure of their futures.”
Pastor Jason Ridley, Hilltop Community Worship Center, Columbus, OH:
“I’m disturbed and disappointed by the news that Senator Portman once again is choosing to support his party over his people. He is neglecting the needs of his constituents by choosing to support the phasing out of Medicaid expansion over the next seven years. If this is the choice he makes, then come next election, we will have no choice but to choose another senator who will stand for the great citizens of Ohio.”
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