The House’s fourth highest-ranking Republican was heckled during a speech at Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally by attendees protesting the GOP’s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“We may not always agree with one another, but we can come together and find common ground to create change and progress right here in Eastern Washington,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said before being interrupted by chants of “save our health care.”
Twitter user @bdbrownie captured video of the interruption:
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers has her speech drowned out by “save our healthcare” chants at the MLK Day rally and march. #Spokane pic.twitter.com/creqqXIK2I
— Brad Brown (@bdbrownie) January 16, 2017
Local TV station KXLY also reported that attendees chanted “liar” at the event.
In a statement to the station, a spokesperson for McMorris Rodgers said in part: “The Congresswoman looks forward to keeping the lines of communication open when discussing how to ensure a smooth and stable transition out of Obamacare to put in place a 21st Century health care system.”
McMorris Rodgers, who is the House GOP conference chair, has been a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act for years. She made the ambiguous promise on Friday that “No one who has coverage because of Obamacare today, will lose that coverage the day it’s repealed — we’re committed to a smooth and stable transition for those currently receiving care.”
Watch another angle of the interruption below, via YouTube user Save Our Healthcare Spokane:
This post has been updated.