Democrats in speech rebuttal say Trump will 'rip' away care
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear took a populist tenor in the Democrats' formal response to President Donald Trump's speech to Congress, accusing him of planning to "rip affordable health insurance" from Americans and being "Wall Street's champion."
Trump used his first address to Congress to urge lawmakers to kill Obama's 2010 overhaul and replace it with tax credits, health savings accounts and other elements of a plan being pushed by House GOP leaders.
The visitors' galleries were stuffed with immigrants and recipients of health benefits under Obama's law — special guests invited by congressional Democrats, and a large number of Democratic women wore white to symbolize support for women's suffrage.
Beshear said that while Trump campaigned as "a champion for people struggling to make ends meet," he's taken executive action to roll back consumer protections against giant financial institutions and has stocked his Cabinet with wealthy business executives.