We'll once again be at Gardner's old digs over on 17th & Arapahoe for this rally - we'll gather and listen to some speakers, and then march over to Gardner's new office at 721 19th St (the Customs House).
And once again the US Senate appears to act against the interests of millions of Americans by forcing through a healthcare bill that has no bipartisanship, no hearings, and no endorsements from the medical, patient advocacy, or healthcare community.
Senator Gardner, on the other hand, was explicit about his dedication to transparency in his September 8, 2017 town hall in Grand Junction. Responding to constituent criticism about the way the recent senate healthcare bill was shrouded in partisan secrecy, Gardner stated that “several months ago I talked about the need for this to be bipartisan, talked about the need for hearings and extended time.”
The current healthcare bill, known as "Graham-Cassidy," was written by members of the Senate GOP and incorporates no bipartisan effort, and is planned to go to a vote in under two weeks. There are currently no scheduled hearings, and no open debate. And yet, just last week in his town hall, Senator Gardner told Coloradans: “I hope people learn that [the healthcare debate] needs to be open.”
Coloradans will gather on Friday outside Senator Gardner's Denver office to hold the senator to his word and demand he stop this bill from entering the Senate floor until normal process (hearings, debate, true bipartisan effort) are restored. We demand that Senator Gardner stand by the words he uttered just one week ago, and not allow a bill to be forced through the senate that does not meet his own stated standards of transparency.
We will circulate a pledge of accountability - reflecting on the words Senator Gardner spoke about open hearings and bipartisan process - for rally-goers to sign, which will be delivered to Senator Gardner's staff.