Staten Islanders Rally Outside of Rep. Malliotakis’ Office, Demanding She Sign the ACA Discharge Petition
If Expiring Health Care Tax Credits Are Not Extended, Some New York Families Could See Their Insurance Premiums More Than DOUBLE
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK — Today, Staten Island residents, union members, and health care advocates gathered outside Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis’ district office for a rally organized by Empire State Voices and Staten Island Action Coalition. Standing in front of a mobile billboard truck echoing their message, participants shared their stories about the worsening health care affordability crisis in the district and demanded that Rep. Malliotakis sign the ACA discharge petition on a long-term extension of key health care tax credits.
Working New Yorkers are being crushed under the weight of a health care affordability crisis, and Representative Malliotakis has done nothing but make matters worse. Earlier this year, she voted in favor of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid Cuts as part of the Republican Tax Law, voted to uphold the Trump Administration’s tariffs that are raising the cost of prescription drugs, and now she’s standing back and allowing key health care tax credits from the Affordable Care Act to expire, threatening to raise some of her constituents’ insurance premiums by more than double!
Staten Islanders demanded that Rep. Malliotakis sign the ACA discharge petition on a long-term extension of key health care tax credits. | CREDIT: Empire State Voices
“It’s not enough to just say that you’re fighting for us. You have to actually stand up and do it,” said Antionette, a retired nurse from Bay Ridge. “Right now, Congresswoman Malliotakis is standing by and allowing insurance premiums to skyrocket for thousands of families across her district. She’s more than happy to vote for huge tax breaks for the rich, but when it comes to making life more affordable for regular people like us, she’s nowhere to be found. Typical.”
“The cost of living here on Staten Island is already outrageously high, with many families struggling to afford their health insurance premiums as is,” said Laura McCarthy, a resident of West Brighton and representative of Staten Island Action Coalition. “We’re the only borough in New York City without a public hospital; we already get fewer resources than the rest of the city. If premiums suddenly doubled on top of that, people wouldn’t be able to bear it. They’d go without care, delay necessary treatment, and risk devastating medical debt if something went wrong. That’s just unacceptable. Congresswoman Malliotakis needs to sign the ACA discharge and start fighting to lower healthcare costs for her constituents.”
If expiring health care tax credits are not extended, some New York families could see their insurance premiums more than double! | CREDIT: Empire State Voices
“Making sure that New Yorkers can afford health insurance should not be a partisan issue,” said Zachary Tirgan, Regional Organizing Director for Empire State Voices. “If Congresswoman Malliotakis refuses to sign the health care discharge petition and extend these tax credits, she will be directly raising health care costs for thousands of families in her district. If that’s a record she’s comfortable with, then by all means, she can continue to stand in the way. But if she wants to claim that she fought for Staten Island Families, she needs to get off the sidelines and support a long-term extension of these tax credits.”
To learn more about Empire State Voices, please reach out to press@empirestatevoices.org
###
About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
