U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, blasted House Speaker Will Weatherford for letting the Tea Party run the agenda in the House and said Gov. Rick Scott needed to “get off the sidelines” and use his clout to pass health care.
Wasserman Schultz, who is also chair of the Democratic National Committee, was in Tallahassee Wednesday to stand with House and Senate Democrats in favor of an expansion of health care, which would mean offering coverage to roughly 1 million low income Floridians.
Both House and Senate leaders have said that a health care compormise is likely dead. House Speaker Will Weatherford has been adamant that it won’t accept any federal dollars to help pay for the program and the Senate has refused to go along with a House plan that would give $2,000 stipends to roughly 115,700 working parents below the poverty line.
Wasserman Schultz said that refusing the federal money to help pay for health care will mean that poor people will still be suffering and going to the emergency room for care, driving up cost of care for the insured population.
“If Will Weatherford has his way, we will all continue to pay,” she said.
Wasserman Schultz also said she was happy Scott had a “death bed conversion” and had backed health care expansion, but said his support meant nothing if he wasn’t willing to use his clout to push for legislation.
“It’s time for him to get off the sidelines,” he said.
