Democrats their allies put U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., on notice: they will go after him for voting to repeal President Barack Obama’s health-care law in November.
Curbelo joined 239 Republicans in voting to pass a measure repealing much of Obama’s law and defunding Planned Parenthood on Wednesday. After the vote, Curbelo explained why he supported the bill.
"The adoption of the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act focuses on patient-centered health-care plans by returning power to American consumers and families through free market solutions,” Curbelo said. “H.R. 3762 will reduce the national deficit by $516 billion from 2016 to 2025, eliminating new bureaucracies and mandates created by the Affordable Care Act, including the repeal of the burdensome ‘Cadillac Tax.’ Many of these mandates and taxes have resulted in fewer jobs, lower incomes, and poor quality health-care for some of our country's neediest families. Additionally, H.R. 3762 provides states with grants to be used towards eradicating substance abuse and supporting public and mental health programs.
“I support Speaker Ryan’s plan to present a Republican alternative to this misguided law, and commend his continued leadership to put Americans first,” Curbelo added. “Repealing the most harmful elements of the Affordable Care Act is an important step, but is not enough."
With Curbelo ranking as one of the top targets in the nation, the Democrats and their allies vowed to make an issue over his vote.
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), is backing former Miami Dade Democratic Chairwoman Annette Taddeo over Curbelo. On Wednesday, Lujan said the Obamacare repeal vote will be a big issue in November’s election.
“It’s 2016 and House Republicans are still tightly bound to their old, failed playbook, which not only puts the health of millions of Americans at risk, but also threatens Republicans’ standing with women, Latinos and other important groups of voters this election year,” Lujan said. “This reconciliation vote is far from a fresh start: it marks Republicans’ sixty-second attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act this Congress, and yet another attempt to defund Planned Parenthood. Republicans up and down the ticket will suffer from this backwards, conservative approach to 2016 in the general election.”
Liberal PAC Emily’s List already was targeting Curbelo and doubled down on their efforts against him after the vote.
“Congressman Curbelo decided to ring in the new year exactly the same way he spent 2015—by voting to strip health care away from millions of hardworking men and women,” said Rachel Thomas, a spokeswoman for Emily’s List, on Wednesday night. “Even as one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for reelection this year, Congressman Curbelo showed yet again that he’s more interested in driving his own ideological agenda than fighting for the women and families he was elected to represent.”
Former U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., who Curbelo beat in 2014, and businessman Andrew Korge are considering joining Taddeo in the Democratic primary.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
