WASHINGTON, DC, July 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Led by United States Conference of Mayors President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a group of more than 60 mayors—Republican and Democratic—today issued a letter urging the Senate to vote no on the motion to proceed, and push the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senate Leadership to form a bipartisan working group, with the nation's mayors and governors, to strenghten the nation's health care system. Any bill that slashes Medicaid and rips health insurance away from a single family or senior that needs it is a nonstarter with the country’s mayors.
Eighty-five percent of Americans live in cities, and mayors are at the forefront of national health care delivery and programming. “Let’s work together to find solutions that stabilize the health insurance markets; eliminate lifetime and annual limits; cover preventive services; and insure affordable health coverage for those with pre-existing conditions; substance use disorders, mental health illnesses, and others among our most vulnerable populations,” the letter reads.
Mayors are available for interviews and broadcast appearances. If you're interested in speaking with Mayor Landrieu or USCM leadership about this issue, please contact Kelsi Browning at kbrowning@skdknick.com or 908-247-3263.
Full text of the letter and signatories are below:
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader Minority Leader
United States Senate United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Lamar Alexander The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair Ranking Member
Committee on Health, Education, Committee on Health, Education,
Labor & Pensions Labor & Pensions
United States Senate United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators,
On behalf of United States Conference of Mayors, we are writing to strongly urge the Senate to vote “No” on the ‘motion to proceed’ on any healthcare legislation that would take away healthcare coverage from millions of Americans in our cities. We strongly encourage leadership and relevant members to form a bipartisan working group in partnership with the nation’s mayors to craft legislation that will truly fix what ails our healthcare system.
We are Republican and Democratic mayors who represent small and large cities and towns in progressive and conservative states and localities – we are on the ground and closest to the people; and we are ready and willing to partner with you. We are united and confident that, working with you, we will find actionable solutions to strengthen healthcare delivery.
Cities and their metro regions are home to 86% of the nation’s population, 88% of the nation’s jobs, and 91% of the country’s GDP. Any proposal that strips away coverage, hurts seniors, or hampers efforts to combat the opioid epidemic is a non-starter for cities. During our annual meeting earlier this summer, the nation’s mayors released the Mayors’ Agenda for the Future that affirms our position as the public officials closest to the people, and that quality health care in this country should be viewed by all as a human right, not a privilege for those who can afford access to it.
A bipartisan working group that includes Mayors, Governors and Senators and that is inclusive of cities’ voices regardless of their relative size, demographic makeup, or political persuasion – will provide a venue for vibrant, productive policy conversations that will deliver real, measurable results. It will serve the best interests of all our shared constituencies, who are best served by action, not partisanship.
cc. Members of the Senate
Mitch Landrieu
Mayor of New Orleans
USCM President
Stephen Benjamin
Mayor of Columbia (SC)
USCM Vice President
Madeline Anne Rogero
Mayor of Knoxville
Nan Whaley
Mayor of Dayton
Frank C. Ortis
Mayor of Pembroke Pines
Elizabeth B. Kautz
Mayor of Burnsville
Paul A. Dyster
Mayor of Niagara Falls
John Heilman
Mayor of West Hollywood
John Giles
Mayor of Mesa
Kim McMillan
Mayor of Clarksville
Gary R. McCarthy
Mayor of Schenectady
Paul R. Soglin
Mayor of Madison
Lovely A. Warren
Mayor of Rochester
Alan L. Nagy
Mayor of Newark
Mike Rawlings
Mayor of Dallas
John A. McNally
Mayor of Youngstown
William 'Bill' V. Bell
Mayor of Durham
Patrick J. Furey
Mayor of Torrance
David J. Berger
Mayor of Lima
Denny Doyle
Mayor of Beaverton
Javier Gonzales
Mayor of Santa Fe
Steve Adler
Mayor of Austin
Hillary Schieve
Mayor of Reno
Michael B. Hancock
Mayor of Denver
Eric Garcetti
Mayor of Los Angeles
Lyda Krewson
Mayor of St. Louis
Mark W. Mitchell
Mayor of Tempe
Adrian O. Mapp
Mayor of Plainfield
Greg Stanton
Mayor of Phoenix
Joseph T. McElveen Jr.
Mayor of Sumter
Bill de Blasio
Mayor of New York City
Sue Higgins
Mayor of Oakley
Catherine E. Pugh
Mayor of Baltimore
Stephanie A. Miner
Mayor of Syracuse
John P. Marchand
Mayor of Livermore
Jim Kenney
Mayor of Philadelphia
Nancy Rodkin Rotering
Mayor of Highland Park
Martin J. Walsh
Mayor of Boston
Jon Mitchell
Mayor of New Bedford
Helene Schneider
Mayor of Santa Barbara
Marni L. Sawicki
Mayor of Cape Coral
Levar Stoney
Mayor of Richmond
Jonathan Rothschild
Mayor of Tucson
Paula Hicks-Hudson
Mayor of Toledo
Rahm Emanuel
Mayor of Chicago
David H. Bieter
Mayor of Boise
Donald Terry
Mayor of Rancho Cordova
Pauline Russo Cutter
Mayor of San Leandro
Marilyn Strickland
Mayor of Tacoma
Geraldine 'Jeri' Muoio Ph.D.
Mayor of West Palm Beach
Sylvester 'Sly' James Jr.
Mayor of Kansas City
Buddy Dyer
Mayor of Orlando
William Peduto
Mayor of Pittsburgh
William A. Bell Sr.
Mayor of Birmingham
Ken S. Rosenberg
Mayor of Mountain View
Karen M. Freeman-Wilson
Mayor of Gary
Joe Baldacci
Mayor of Bangor
Luke Bronin
Mayor of Hartford
Kathy M. Sheehan
Mayor of Albany
Muriel Bowser
Mayor of Washington, DC
Edwin M. Lee
Mayor of San Francisco
Wayne M. Messam
Mayor of Miramar
Greg Fischer
Mayor of Louisville
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