Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released the following statement on H.R. 2581, the Verify First Act, which imposes restrictions on immigrants buying health insurance through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. The bill passed by a vote of 238 to 184. Congresswoman Clarke voted “no.”

“We have witnessed a series of attacks on immigrant families from Donald Trump and his followers in Congress, from the Muslim Ban to needlessly burdensome requirements for visa applicants. Today, those attacks have extended into health care, as Republicans are now claiming – without any evidence – that immigrants who are not eligible for tax credits to buy health insurance are receiving those subsidies. H.R. 2581 directly contradicts the purpose of the Affordable Care Act, which was intended to allow all eligible families to access health care. Their false claims are an insult to the hardworking immigrant families who contribute enormously to our economy and our civil society. As the daughter of immigrants, I reject this caricature.”

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