CHICO, CA — Today, congressional candidate Audrey Denney (D, CA-01) condemned House Republican leadership for blocking a vote to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, a move that will all but guarantee health care premiums will rise for tens of thousands of Northern California families in January.
“Health care is a right, not a privilege,” said Denney. “But House Republicans are choosing to let health care costs explode for working families. They’re choosing to gamble with people’s lives so they can protect tax breaks for billionaires.”
Because Republicans failed to act this year, families across Northern California will face massive premium hikes in the coming months, forcing impossible choices between medical care, rent, groceries, and prescriptions. For rural communities already struggling with hospital and clinic closures, provider shortages, and long emergency response times, the consequences will be especially severe.
“I’ve sat with families who are already at their breaking point,” Denney continued. “I’ve spoken with people who’ve done everything right and are still watching their health insurance costs double or triple overnight. This is real harm, and it’s being inflicted deliberately by politicians in Washington who won’t feel the consequences themselves. We cannot afford to wait any longer.”
Denney also called out Rep. Doug LaMalfa directly for failing to stand up for his constituents and failing to sign on to the discharge petition that will force a vote on extending the ACA subsidies..
“Doug LaMalfa has yet again chosen party loyalty over what’s best for Northern California families,” she said. “Silence in the face of this kind of cruelty is a choice, and it’s one our communities won’t forget. He’s about to go on vacation for the holidays, and his constituents are paying for it.”
Denney pledged that, if elected, she would fight to protect and expand affordable health care and move toward a system that puts people first.
###
About Audrey
Audrey Denney (D) is an educator and nonprofit leader running for Congress to represent California’s First District. Rooted in Northern California, Audrey has spent her career fighting for working families, rural communities, and food security at home and abroad. She bartended to pay for college at Chico State, then began a career as a teacher before moving into nonprofit leadership focused on community resilience and food access. Audrey refuses corporate PAC money and believes politics should be about service, integrity, and people, not partisanship. With fair maps and growing grassroots momentum in a district that is poised to flip red-to-blue, she’s running to finally deliver the real representation Northern California families deserve. Learn more at www.AudreyforCongress.com.
