[Oklahoma City, OK, March 2, 2016] Oklahoma’s dire budget situation is not news to anyone in Oklahoma; however, the discussion of how to address it grows more concerning each day as hard-working, middle class Oklahomans are targeted again and again while the ultra-wealthy and large corporations continue to get a free pass. After over two hours of floor debate this morning, all 30 House Democrats voted against House Bill 2665 by Representative Doug Cox (R-Grove) which would cut over 110,000 people from SoonerCare, including 77,000 women.

Cox, Doug“The Oklahoma GOP’s war on women is blatantly obvious after the Republican-controlled legislature’s multiple attempts to restrict access to healthcare over the past six years but even this is a low blow. The GOP’s position that women should be the ‘caretakers’ of the family, setting aside career aspirations to care for children, makes this move one of the most despicable yet, no matter how much the author says he ‘is not happy about the proposal,'” said Sarah Baker, Communications Director for the Oklahoma Democratic Party.

“The Republicans continue to deny Oklahoma a revenue stream which could not only prevent this proposal from being an option, but allow us to direct funds to other areas of the budget that are starving.” Baker said. “It’s time for Governor Fallin and the rest of the Republican ‘leadership’ to suck it up and accept Medicaid expansion.

“When you have women leaving their jobs because the cost of childcare is too high for even middle-class Oklahomans and then turn around and deny them access to healthcare, we have a serious morality issue. The Oklahoma Republican Party is systematically stripping away every bit of opportunity for not just women and children in Oklahoma to succeed in our state, but the entire middle class.

“When the middle class is provided with the opportunity to succeed, our economy will succeed. While we agree that more must be done to fix our state’s budgetary issues, we shouldn’t do it on the back of those that are struggling the most, including our low-income parents and schoolchildren. With all of the cuts to education, healthcare, and public safety, it’s abundantly clear that Republicans don’t care about the future of Oklahoma.”

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