Former Vice President Joe Biden stood on the Capitol steps at a rally today marking the seventh anniversary of The Affordable Care Act (ACA).   Flanked by Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Biden told the crowd, “This bill was about peace of mind! Peace of mind for Americans to finally, finally, finally, finally be able to lie there and know that God forbid something happens like it’s happened to an awful lot of us, that I’m not going to lose my house, I’m not going to lose everything, I’m not going to leave my family in distress.”

Credit: David Lienemann.  White House (V011013DL-0556) via Wikimedia Commons

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, California Governor Jerry Brown and other House Democrats also attended the rally, which comes the day before house Republicans are expected vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the GOP’s bill to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Biden characterized the  GOP heath care bill as a transfer of “close to a trillion dollars to people that don’t need it.'”

He said that the bill would eliminate close to a trillion dollars in benefits and that it was a tax bill in disguise.  “It’s about a transfer tax, basically,” he said. “That’s classic Republican politics. This is a tax bill for them.”

Meanwhile, conservative Republicans such as Sen. Rand Paul and the conservative House Freedom Caucus continue to oppose Paul Ryan’s and President Trump’s bill in favor clean repeal of Obamacare. Some Republican lawmakers are calling the AHCA “Obamacare Lite.”

Yesterday, President Trump went to Capitol Hill to address the GOP conference and drum up support for the bill, telling Republicans that they could lose their seats and the House majority in 2018 if they fail to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

He singled out Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the Freedom Caucus, saying, “I think Mark Meadows will get there, too. Mark, I’m coming after you.”

Minutes later, Meadows appeared unperturbed, telling reporters, “I serve at the pleasure of the people of western North Carolina, and when you serve at their pleasure, it’s only those 750,000 people that can send you home.  It’s a temporary job, and I’ve known that from day one.”

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