Constituents Rally Outside Fitzpatrick’s Office On Day Of Health Care Vote

Cheers rippled from the crowd of demonstrators outside of Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s Middletown office as the news broke that the American Health Care Act was being pulled by House Republican leadership.

Although the news from Washington D.C. made the demonstrators happy, the demonstrators said they recognize that their fight isn’t over.

The group of more than 50 local activists have made a regular meeting place of the One Summit Trace office building where Fitzpatrick’s district office is located.

“Part of democracy is continuing to fight,” said Tam St. Claire from the Bucks County Women Advocacy Coalition. In addition to rallying around the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the group was also rallying behind Planned Parenthood and pushing for a more centralized healthcare system.

St. Claire and other event organizers thanked Fitzpatrick for not backing the failed Republican health care bill but mentioned that they need to keep the pressure up on the governing party.

“Just because you’re thanking him for what he did today doesn’t mean he can’t wake up tomorrow morning and reverse his decision,” said Don Markert shortly before the rally formally ended.

“I don’t think Obamacare is perfect,” started Steve Bacher, a Newtown resident who came out to participate in the rally.

“Medicare for everyone would be a step up, but that Trump care bill would have been a huge step back,” Bacher said.

Steve Cickay, a Newtown resident and familiar face at area rallies, mentioned that the Friday rally was his third out of four in three days. Three of those rallies related to the health care bill and one related to saving the Environmental Protection Agency.

“So many horrible things are happening that there are that many people being politically active,” Cickay said of the recent uptick in local demonstrations.

Fitzpatrick put out a statement following the news of the bill being pulled Friday.