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In anticipation of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) released the following statement highlighting the importance of affordable health care:

“I’m ready to work with this President to lower the cost of prescription drugs and make health care more affordable for our families, but I haven’t seen a willingness from him to do that. Instead, we’ve witnessed an ongoing and deliberate effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.  

“In advance of tonight’s State of the Union address, I’m calling on the President to drop the lawsuit his administration is waging to repeal the ACA in its entirety and instead work with House Democrats to lower prescription drug costs and protect people with preexisting conditions. If he’s serious about prioritizing health care, the bills we’ve passed in the House are stuck in the Senate and Leader McConnell is just a phone call away. 

“We desperately need to lower costs and expand affordable access to care. This is life and death for too many families in my district and across America. No one should go bankrupt over a medical emergency, no one should have to ration their insulin -- but unfortunately, that’s the reality for too many families in America.

“Health care is a right -- it’s why I’m fighting every day in Congress to make it more affordable for all Virginians.”

Health care has been Wexton’s top priority in Congress, and she has helped pass 11 bills to lower drug costs, protect people with preexisting conditions, and reverse health care sabotage by the Trump administration. She has also introduced a bipartisan bill to give families more flexibility to save money on health care.

Most recently, the Congresswoman helped pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, landmark legislation that would give Medicare the power to negotiate directly with drug companies to bring down prices and make those savings available to hardworking families across America.

Wexton’s efforts to lower health care costs come as President Trump and Senate Republicans continue to block legislation that would lower costs and protect patients. Meanwhile, three days into this year, Pharma already increased drug prices on more than 400 medicines. Additionally, President Trump’s lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is ongoing, once again putting the health care of millions in jeopardy. On her first day in Congress, Wexton joined her colleagues in authorizing the general counsel of the House of Representatives to enter the legal battle over the ACA on the side of the American people.

As her State of the Union guest, Wexton invited Walewska Watkins, a constituent from Ashburn and mother of an 8-year old boy named Aire. She and her family depend on the ACA to get Aire the care he needs. The ACA’s affordability measures and protections from discrimination for preexisting conditions ensure that children like her son will have access to quality medical care. Watkins and her son are active members of the Little Lobbyists, a family-led group that advocates for children with complex medical needs and disabilities like Aire, who is Autistic.

Congresswoman Wexton’s official announcement of Watkins as her guest can be found here. 

Photos of the Congresswoman Wexton and her State of the Union guest can be found here. 

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