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Democrats take aim at Republicans on budget squabble

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Democrat vs. Republican on whiteVirginia Democrats are pointing fingers at their Republican counterparts in the Virginia General Assembly over the ongoing state budget stalemate.

“House Republicans continue to prove that they would rather shut down the government than close the coverage gap,” said DPVA Spokesperson Ashley Bauman as the stalemate continued with the start of this week’s special General Assembly session. “Instead of working across the aisle to pass a budget that closes the gap, Speaker Howell, Kirk Cox and Chris Jones are content to twiddle their thumbs while 400,000 Virginians go without health care that is critical to a healthy and productive life.

“House Republicans would rather throw away $5 million a day than compromise on a budget that works for all Virginians. It’s time for House Republicans to drop this Tea Party tirade and pass a budget that closes the coverage gap.”

The key holdup: healthcare expansion. House Republicans have balked at anything substantive to expand the state’s Medicaid rolls, even as Gov. Terry McAuliffe and a bipartisan group in the State Senate have come to terms on a plan to expand the system.

Republicans held a press conference Tuesday touting .001% support for passing a clean budget instead of closing the health care coverage gap for 400,000 uninsured Virginians. That’s only 10,500 of the nearly 8 million Virginians who live in the Commonwealth.
Virginia House Republicans are spending their time in Richmond obstructing the budget and all they can show for support is .001% of Virginians,” Bauman said. “Gov. McAuliffe received 1 million votes during his election where his top priority he campaigned on was closing the coverage gap for 400,000 Virginians.
I don’t know about you but If I were a betting woman, I’d stick for the 400,000 Virginians who are losing access to affordable care while Republicans draw a line in the sand and refuse to cross it.”

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