FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 19, 2010
CONTACT: JAMES SLEPIAN
BOCCIERI BETRAYS DISTRICT, COMMITS TO SUPPORT OBAMA-CARE
Despite clear opposition from constituents, Boccieri stands with Pelosi on Health Care
Canton, OH—At a press conference held earlier today, John Boccieri announced that he will be voting in favor of the health care legislation that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi are attempting to push through the U.S. House of Representatives this week. Despite recent polls illustrating that a majority of his constituents oppose the bill, John Boccieri once again placed the demands of Nancy Pelosi over the needs and concerns of the 16th district.
“Like a majority of residents in the 16th district, I am saddened, disheartened and angered that John Boccieri has again demonstrated that his voice and his vote in Congress belongs to Nancy Pelosi, rather than those he was elected to serve. At a time when the people of northeast Ohio desperately needed their Congressman to stand up for them and to stand against a trillion dollar government takeover of health care that will further cripple our economy and raise premiums on families, John Boccieri has failed us all. As Democratic leaders in Washington continue to buy votes for this bill through shady backroom deals and political payoffs, one has to wonder exactly what John Boccieri was promised in exchange for his decision to sell-out his own district and flip-flop on this disastrous piece of legislation,” Boccieri’s Republican opponent Jim Renacci said.
Since John Boccieri assumed office, the unemployment rate in Ohio’s 16th district has doubled, and now exceeds 14% in some areas. As employers continue to cut jobs, countless businesses across the state and the nation have cited the massive increase in health care costs they would incur as a result of this legislation as a primary factor in their inability to hire new workers. Many employers have stated that they would be forced to continue cutting jobs and reducing wages in order to meet the cost demands they will face if Obama-Care becomes law. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office reported that the Obama-Pelosi plan will increase health care premiums on families by an average of $2,100 annually, and increase total spending on health care as well.
“Our district is hemorrhaging jobs and our residents cannot afford the higher premiums and higher taxes that we will all now face if this bill becomes law. As northeast Ohio continues to grow hungry for new jobs and economic growth, employers will be unable to sustain the few jobs we have left or continue to pay the wages our workers so desperately need. John Boccieri’s shameful decision to vote for this bill is the height of legislative recklessness, and collectively we will all suffer for it,” Renacci added.
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For more information please visit RenacciForCongress.com