She’s not fooling anyone:
During an April 2 tele-town hall, Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) lied about supporting protections for people with preexisting medical conditions.
Throughout her career in Congress, McSally has repeatedly voted against those protections and has encouraged her colleagues to do the same.
On the Thursday call with constituents, McSally was asked why she was "still supporting the Trump administration's lawsuit to end preexisting condition coverage in the middle of this crisis."
The question referred to a lawsuit filed by several Republican-led states and supported by the Trump administration that is aimed at declaring the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.
"That's actually not accurate," McSally responded. "I have nothing to do with the lawsuit, and I fully support people with preexisting conditions, ensuring that they cannot be denied health insurance. So it's just not accurate."
Here’s a reminder about her record:
Soon after she assumed office to represent Arizona’s Tucson-based district in the House of Representatives, Martha McSally voted for a Republican-backed measure to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
McSally’s “aye” vote for H.R. 596 was recorded on the evening of Feb. 3, 2015, and came as her party was intent on undoing, tweaking or rolling back the controversial 2010 health care law implemented by President Barack Obama and Democrats.
A year later, McSally voted again to repeal the law.
And in May 2017, McSally voted for the GOP's American Health Care Act, which revived their hopes of repealing central portions of the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as "Obamacare." That legislation, if passed, would have reduced the federal deficit but resulted in 23 million more uninsured Americans through 2026, a Congressional Budget Office analysis found, though McSally's campaign says that estimate was based on "bad projections" about the Affordable Care Act that never materialized.
Arizona's Medicaid program last year estimated that same legislation would have cost the state an extra $3.3 billion through 2026. And a federal funding change could have jeopardized childless adults enrolled in the government health insurance program for low-income people.
McSally urged her colleagues, gathered on the day of that 2017 vote in a private meeting, that it was time to get this “f---ing thing” done, according to the Associated Press.
And she voted for this last year:
U.S. Senate Democrats failed on Wednesday to overturn a Trump administration policy that allows states to ignore certain requirements of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act.
Democrats forced a Senate floor vote on a resolution that sought to unravel the controversial Trump administration health care rule. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins was the lone Republican to vote for the resolution, which failed by a vote of 43-52.
Arizona’s senators split: Democrat Kyrsten Sinema supported the resolution, while Republican Martha McSally opposed it.
The effort was seen as symbolic, given that there was virtually no chance of it winning support from the GOP-controlled Senate and the White House. Senate Democrats said it was an opportunity to put their colleagues on the record backing a Trump administration rule that would weaken health care protections.
The policy in question allows states to skirt certain requirements in the Affordable Care Act. It would allow states, for example, to use federal cash to subsidize some short-term insurance plans with limited protections for people with pre-existing conditions, The New York Times reported last year when the policy was rolled out.
Democrats in Congress have railed against the Trump administration policy for allowing a proliferation of “junk” insurance plans that don’t provide the comprehensive coverage envisioned by the sweeping health care law.
Speaking of health:
On Tuesday, McSally went on FOX Business to blame China and the World Health Organization for the dire situation in which we find ourselves.
This, as she repeatedly dodged questions about The New York Times report that Trump’s top trade representative was warning the White House in late January that the coronavirus could cost the U.S. trillions of dollars and imperil the lives of millions of Americans.
“We're learning more about the virus every day and, unfortunately, because of China's communist coverup of it, we could have learned all of this back in January,” McSally told host Neil Cavuto.
"So as our experts understand the virus more and more we'll be able to make more targeted decisions moving forward. Unfortunately, again, it could have been earlier but China put us in this position because of their lies and the coverups and the complicit World Health Organization.”
Cue Cavuto: “But it might not have been just the World Health Organization. Now we have reports that Peter Navarro was warning the President of a danger, of a virus, that could have a huge impact on the economy to say nothing of the health of Americans. What do you think of those developments, if true? We don't know, senator, to be fair if this got up to the level of the President's attention, but does it trouble you?
McSally: “This is what I know: I learned the day I entered the military, never trust a communist. China is to blame for this pandemic and the death of thousands of Americans ...”
Cavuto called McSally on her dodge.
“But we apparently knew enough or were suspicious enough, at least Peter Navarro was, that he did send out alarms and they were ignored …,” he said. “There’s a possibility here within the White House itself they knew about this as well and didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen that report,” McSally replied, before launching back into China.
Again, Cavuto called her on it.
“You seem to be ignoring the possibility that those who were concerned about China and what it might be hiding – Peter Navarro comes to mind – were ignored for whatever reason.”
Cue Dodge No. 3: “Again, I can’t speak to that report,” McSally said. “I can say that over time, in January, February, March, there were a lot of people having different opinions about this in America but we didn’t have the facts.”
It’s time defeat McSally a second time. Click here to donate and get involved with Mark Kelly’s (D. AZ) U.S. Senate campaign.