‘If you want a hearing, you better shut up,’ Hatch tells health care bill protesters

WASHINGTON — A hearing on the controversial Graham-Cassidy health care bill led to dozens of protesters in wheelchairs being removed by Capitol Police as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch told them to “shut up.”

The Republican Senate is trying to quickly pass its third health care bill in their attempt to repeal Obamacare; again without waiting for an official score from the Congressional Budget Office. They held their only hearing on the bill Monday morning that included dozens of activists, many with disabilities, there for a protest arranged by disability-rights group ADAPT, the New York Daily News reported.

As soon as the meeting was called to order, protesters began chanting “No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty.” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, can be heard telling people, “If you want a hearing… you better shut up,” according to a video posted by ABC News on Twitter.

Capitol Police can be seen removing protesters in wheelchairs, some of who continued to yell and chant as police wheeled them out of the building. Hatch shut down the hearing until the activists were removed, but once order was called again, more protesters began chanting.

Hatch, who chairs the Finance Committee, then said, “If you can’t be in order, then get the heck out of here," according to Mother Jones.

Reporters in the room said they heard Hatch say, “Let’s let (the protesters) get it out of their system.” More than 30 protesters at the meeting were arrested and dozens more were in line outside a nearby police station waiting to be processed.

The Graham-Cassidy health care bill has drawn ire from dozens of medical organizations and health care experts who say states would lose “significant federal funding” that would greatly increase the number of uninsured Americans, according to the Associated Press.

Both Republican Sens. John McCain and Rand Paul have publicly come out against the bill. Paul, who told reporters on Monday that the bill costs too much money, said Republicans were trying to pass a health care bill based on fear of punishment and not in the best interests of American citizens.

"It's like a kidney stone. Pass it, pass it, pass it," he said.

Late Monday afternoon, the CBO office released a partial score on the bill, stating it would reduce the budget deficit by $133 billion but millions would lose health care.

In what could be the final blow, Sen. Susan Collins announced Monday evening that she would also be voting no on the Graham-Cassidy bill, CNN reported, which makes enough no votes to kill the bill.

"Sweeping reforms to our health care system and to Medicaid can't be done well in a compressed time frame, especially when the actual bill is a moving target," Collins said. "(It) would also open the door for states to weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, cancer, heart disease, arthritis and diabetes."

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later this week.

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