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Murphy Blasts GOP Health Care Bill On Senate Floor Before Voting It Down

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy took to the Senate floor on Thursday to, in his words, "lay out the facts" of the newly released Republican health care bill. 

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy speaks on the Senate floor on Thursday night about the health-care bill.

Photo Credit: Senator Chris Murphy

The bill would "intentionally destroy the American health care system," Murphy (D-Conn.) said in a statement. 

Republicans forced the Senate to vote on the bill – which would strip health care from 16 million people by next year, increases premiums by 20 percent next year and eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood – just two hours after they unveiled their secret plan, said Murphy, a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

“This process is an embarrassment. We are about to reorder one-fifth of the American health care system, and we are going to have two hours to review a bill which at first blush stands essentially as health care system arson. This bill is lighting the American health care system on fire with intentionality, and to use the word ‘freedom’ at its center? There's freedom in this bill. There's the freedom to go bankrupt. There's the freedom to get sick and not be able to find a doctor. There's freedom in this bill to die early,” Murphy said on the Senate floor.

“This isn't a game,” he said. “This is real life, and if this bill becomes law, real people will be hurt.”

Murphy also went on Facebook live late Thursday to talk to constituents about the health care bill. 

Early Friday, the Senate voted down the scaled-down ObamaCare repeal bill, 49-51, in a surprise vote that is a major defeat for GOP leaders, according to The Hill.

It is unclear what will happen next with the  GOP's efforts to repeal the American Health Care Act, The Hill said.

Click the video above to watch Murphy's full comments, which came before the vote.

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