{"id":1448375,"date":"2022-04-21T05:08:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T09:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1448375"},"modified":"2022-04-21T05:08:11","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T09:08:11","slug":"these-democrats-say-health-care-is-a-human-right-for-all-except-their-campaign-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/these-democrats-say-health-care-is-a-human-right-for-all-except-their-campaign-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"These Democrats Say Health Care Is a Human Right for All, Except Their Campaign Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthese-democrats-say-health-care-is-a-human-right-for-all-except-their-campaign-staff%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1448375&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p><span>Many Democratic congressional members and candidates call health care a human right but do not provide coverage for their campaign staffers, a <\/span><i><span>Washington Free Beacon<\/span><\/i><span> review of financial disclosures shows.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Rep. Kurt Schrader&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kurtschrader.com\/videos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/kurtschrader.com\/videos\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1650567062320000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3kWuKXOx2mbEwvHae5OMUp\">campaign site<\/a>, for example,\u00a0says the Oregon Democrat &#8220;understands that having access to health care should be a basic right for every single American.&#8221; He does not offer campaign\u00a0employees a group health care plan, Federal Election Commission records show. Rep. Tom Malinowski&#8217;s (N.J.)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/malinowskifornj.com\/issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/malinowskifornj.com\/issues\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1650567062320000&#038;usg=AOvVaw2VNDHBeHpJ65MDlYE_pTJq\">site<\/a>, meanwhile, calls health care a &#8220;human right&#8221; and argues &#8220;we need to treat it that way.&#8221; Fellow House Democrat Tom O&#8217;Halleran (Ariz.)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tomohalleran.com\/blog\/ohalleran-democrats-keep-campaign-focus-on-health-care-issues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.tomohalleran.com\/blog\/ohalleran-democrats-keep-campaign-focus-on-health-care-issues&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1650567062320000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0J-8huQuSsD2HBg05Nl7Fc\">has called<\/a>\u00a0health care a matter of &#8220;life or death \u2026 for many people.&#8221; The two Democrats have not provided health care to campaign staffers since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&#038;committee_id=C00656686&#038;disbursement_description=health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type%3Dprocessed%26committee_id%3DC00656686%26disbursement_description%3Dhealth&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1650567062320000&#038;usg=AOvVaw3RyD6PvttacqT-BbseWTWu\">January 2019<\/a> and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&#038;committee_id=C00582890&#038;two_year_transaction_period=2022&#038;disbursement_description=stipend&#038;disbursement_description=healthcare&#038;disbursement_description=health&#038;disbursement_description=care\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type%3Dprocessed%26committee_id%3DC00582890%26two_year_transaction_period%3D2022%26disbursement_description%3Dstipend%26disbursement_description%3Dhealthcare%26disbursement_description%3Dhealth%26disbursement_description%3Dcare&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1650567062320000&#038;usg=AOvVaw27atKWGEkdFQHLVSY5Bnm8\">January 2021<\/a><span>, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The hypocrisy also applies to some of the Democratic Party&#8217;s top congressional recruits. California&#8217;s Jay Chen, Ohio&#8217;s Greg Landsman, and Michigan&#8217;s Hillary Scholten do not offer their employees group benefits, according to FEC disclosures. Chen has <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20201029041034\/http:\/chenforcongress.com\/?page_id=121\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>argued<\/span><\/a><span> health care &#8220;should be a basic right,&#8221; while <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GregLandsman\/status\/888192938756509696?s=20&#038;t=R8wfTqxQET5fWijB_jyM3Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>Landsman<\/span><\/a><span> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HillaryScholten\/status\/1323411797664256005\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>Scholten<\/span><\/a><span> have called it a &#8220;right&#8221; and &#8220;human right,&#8221; respectively. All three Democrats are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dccc.org\/dccc-announces-changes-to-its-2022-house-battlefield-names-first-round-of-candidates-to-coveted-red-to-blue-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>featured<\/span><\/a><span> on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee&#8217;s &#8220;highly competitive&#8221; Red to Blue program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Those Democrats&#8217; decision not to provide health care for campaign employees is at odds with many of the party&#8217;s top members. Rep. Haley Stevens (D., Mich.), for example, began <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00638650\/1583700\/sb\/ALL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>paying<\/span><\/a><span> Blue Care Network of Michigan for employee health benefits in January, FEC records show. On the presidential campaign trail, Pete Buttigieg was the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2020-election\/buttigieg-only-top-2020-candidate-not-offering-staffers-health-care-n1003481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>only top 2020 Democratic candidate<\/span><\/a><span> to not provide coverage to his workers\u2014he instead provided them a monthly stipend to buy insurance on their own. In addition to offering group benefits to their presidential campaign staff, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Cory Booker (D., N.J.), and Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) also <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&#038;committee_id=C00413914&#038;committee_id=C00500843&#038;committee_id=C00540500&#038;disbursement_description=health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>extend health coverage<\/span><\/a><span> to their Senate campaign workers, according to FEC records.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Schrader, Chen, and Scholten told the <\/span><i><span>Free Beacon<\/span><\/i><span> that, like Buttigieg, their campaigns pay staffers stipends that can be used to purchase insurance. O&#8217;Halleran campaign manager JoAnna Mendoza, meanwhile, said &#8220;everyone on our team has health insurance,&#8221; thanks in part to &#8220;family coverage&#8221; and &#8220;other sources.&#8221; Mendoza added that the campaign is &#8220;committed to ensuring anyone we hire is offered full benefits as well.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Democrats and media members have argued that a campaign&#8217;s use of stipends to cover health care costs is inadequate. In 2019, former Missouri Democratic senator Claire McCaskill <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2020-election\/buttigieg-only-top-2020-candidate-not-offering-staffers-health-care-n1003481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>advised<\/span><\/a><span> Buttigieg to offer employees group benefits after NBC News revealed that the former South Bend mayor did not do so. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s the way to handle it,&#8221; McCaskill said during an MSNBC appearance. Then-Associated Press White House reporter Jonathan Lemire agreed, calling the ordeal the campaign&#8217;s &#8220;first sort of misstep.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Malinowski and Landsman did not return requests for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to Schrader, other swing-district Democratic representatives who have declared health care to be a &#8220;right&#8221; also provide staffers a stipend instead of offering group benefits. According to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/disbursements\/?data_type=processed&#038;committee_id=C00573949&#038;committee_id=C00636571&#038;committee_id=C00637868&#038;committee_id=C00649913&#038;two_year_transaction_period=2022&#038;min_date=01%2F01%2F2021&#038;max_date=12%2F31%2F2022&#038;disbursement_description=health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>FEC records<\/span><\/a><span>, Colin Allred (D., Texas) and Katie Porter (D., Calif.) both offer campaign staffers monthly &#8220;health care stipends&#8221; that range from $250 to $350. But those stipends are merely &#8220;additional payments to an employee&#8221; that do not need to be used for health care, Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust executive director Kendra Arnold told the <\/span><i><span>Free Beacon<\/span><\/i><span>. Staffers must also pay taxes on those stipends, Arnold said. Allred has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/colinallredtx\/status\/957343744914796545?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>called<\/span><\/a> <span>&#8220;access to quality and affordable health care&#8221; a &#8220;right&#8221; that &#8220;too many&#8221; of his constituents &#8220;have been denied for too long,&#8221; while Porter&#8217;s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/katieporter.com\/issues\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>campaign site<\/span><\/a><span> says health care &#8220;is a human right.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"tag-list\">\n<p class=\"w-full p-0 m-0\"><strong>Published under:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/claire-mccaskill\/\" title=\"View all posts in Claire McCaskill\">Claire McCaskill<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/cory-booker\/\" title=\"View all posts in Cory Booker\">Cory Booker<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" title=\"View all posts in Democrats\">Democrats<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/feature\/\" title=\"View all posts in Feature\">Feature<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/greg-landsman\/\" title=\"View all posts in Greg Landsman\">Greg Landsman<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/haley-stevens\/\" title=\"View all posts in Haley Stevens\">Haley Stevens<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/health-care\/\" title=\"View all posts in Health Care\">Health Care<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/hillary-scholten\/\" title=\"View all posts in Hillary Scholten\">Hillary Scholten<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/house-democrats\/\" title=\"View all posts in House Democrats\">House Democrats<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" title=\"View all posts in House of Representatives\">House of Representatives<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/jay-chen\/\" title=\"View all posts in Jay Chen\">Jay Chen<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/kirsten-gillibrand\/\" title=\"View all posts in Kirsten Gillibrand\">Kirsten Gillibrand<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/kurt-schrader\/\" title=\"View all posts in Kurt Schrader\">Kurt Schrader<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/pete-buttigieg\/\" title=\"View all posts in Pete Buttigieg\">Pete Buttigieg<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/senate\/\" title=\"View all posts in Senate\">Senate<\/a><\/span>, <span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/tag\/tom-malinowski\/\" title=\"View all posts in Tom Malinowski\">Tom Malinowski<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many Democratic congressional members and candidates call health care a human right but do not provide coverage for their campaign staffers, a Washington Free Beacon review of financial disclosures shows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1448375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1448375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1448375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1448375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1448375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1448375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1448375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}