Health Care, Not Warfare Activists Visit Rep. Slaughter's Office

A group that visits Rep. Slaughter's office monthly delivered the message "Healthcare Not warfare" today. A letter composed by Robin Wilt,was presented to one of Rep. Slaughter's interns. The intern took no notes as each group member expressed their viewpoints, opinions and concerns about helath care and the war supplemantal spending bills. Also, Rep. Slaughter's has not responded to past visits made by the group, which makes this writer question the the value Rep. Slaughter has for citizens' opinions and concerns.

The letter calls for an exit strategy for Afghanistan and to establish expanded and improved medicare for all. The letter also exposes how Congressional leaders, including Rep. Slaughter used the Medicare Reimbursement Act as a vehicle to extend Patriot Act.

#file_1#

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter
3120 Federal Building
100 State Street
Rochester, NY 14614
April 21, 2010

Dear Rep. Slaughter,

As you are aware, Progressive Democrats of America, in conjunction with AfterDowningStreet.org, The Backbone Campaign, California Nurses’ Association, Code Pink, DefundWar.org, Democrats.com, and United for Peace and Justice, have combined efforts to lobby our representatives through the “Healthcare Not Warfare” campaign, in order to begin redirecting the money spent on war and death into human needs here at home and abroad.

Specifically, PDA and our allies call on President Obama and Congress to support HR 2404, calling for an exit strategy from Afghanistan; HR 3699, prohibiting any increase in the number of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan; and to establish improved and expanded Medicare for All to residents of the United States through HR 676. We thank you for your co-sponsorship of HR 2404, and we ask that you also co-sponsor HR 3699, which would prevent further supplemental spending on the war in Afghanistan.
This month, I wanted to address an ironic link between healthcare and warfare that you helped engineer, in your capacity as Chair of the Rules Committee. Specifically, I wanted to detail the history of HR 3961: proposed legislation to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform the Medicare SGR payment system for physicians, as it relates to the theme of healthcare and warfare.

HR 3961 was introduced as a companion bill to HR 3962, the Health Care Reform law that President Obama signed in March. HR 3961 was intended to reverse the Bush-era cuts in reimbursements to physicians treating Medicare recipients. In November, the bill passed the House of Representatives without a single Republican vote. It was then, in a move orchestrated by the Judiciary and Rules Committees, in conjunction with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, that HR 3961 was used to implement an as-is extension of the Patriot Act for one year. With Democrats using Medicare reform as a shield behind which to extend the Patriot Act, ironically, HR 3961 may be the most significant bi-partisan piece of legislation to pass the 111th Congress.
By using Medicare reimbursement legislation as a vehicle for the extension of the Patriot Act, Chairman Conyers, Senate Majority Leader Reid, and you made an explicit connection between healthcare and warfare. Knowing that a $33 Billion supplemental spending proposal is currently before Congress, I would like to emphasize that we would like you to use your position as the Chair of Rules not to enact overwhelmingly unpopular policy like the Patriot Act through legislative sleight of hand, but rather to help enact legislation such as HR 3966, that enables us, as a nation, to commit to humanitarian efforts both domestically and abroad in lieu of war.