Reichert Votes 'No' On Obamacare Repeal

ISSAQUAH, WA - U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Issaquah, voted no on the GOP's newest proposal to repeal and replace Obamacare, according to a roll call of the vote. The vote came after 2 p.m. EST on Thursday. Although Reichert voted "no," Republicans still passed the measure to repeal and replace Obamacare.

This week, President Donald Trump called Reichert and asked him to vote for the replacement. Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan also asked Reichert to vote for the replacement.

But just as equally, Reichert has been under pressure from some constituents to vote against the replacement.

A group of locals united under the left-leaning Indivisible banner have been urging Reichert since Trump took office to vote against any repeal of Obamacare. The group planned to stage a rally outside of Reichert's Issaquah and Wenatchee offices on Thursday. As late as yesterday, Reichert was undecided on how he would vote.

The group released a statement after the House vote Thursday that read in part:

Constituents across Reichert’s diverse eighth congressional district have deluged his offices in Washington, D.C., Wenatchee and Issaquah with phone calls and in-person visits, demanding that the congressman put American lives over party politics.

Reichert’s stated steadfast commitment to preserving health care for people with pre-existing medical conditions rings hollow in this light. He failed to show leadership on behalf of his constituents, and instead flew under the radar as it became clearer that people with pre-existing conditions would be hung out to dry.

U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Vancouver, also voted against the plan. U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, R-Spokane, was the sole Washington state member of Congress to vote for the repeal.

Image via U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert