In Key West Forum, Mucarsel-Powell Blasts Curbelo for Voting Against Florida Families on Healthcare, Taxes, and the Environment
KEY WEST – Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell tonight faced off against Republican Congressman Carlos Curbelo at the Hometown! Key West Candidate Forum. Mucarsel-Powell delivered a winning performance, taking the incumbent to task for his votes to strip more than 100,000 Floridians of healthcare and protections for pre-existing conditions, and to give himself and his wealthy donors huge tax handouts at the expense of working families. Mucarsel-Powell, who previously worked at the Coral Restoration Foundation, also called out Curbelo for voting time and time again to dismantle safeguards meant to protect our environment.
“It’s time we hold Carlos Curbelo accountable for constantly saying one thing to the people of this community and then voting the opposite way when he’s back in Washington,” said Debbie Murcarsel-Powell, candidate for Florida’s 26th Congressional District. “Whether it’s on healthcare, taxes, women’s rights, or the environment, Curbelo has demonstrated that when push comes to shove, he’ll side with Trump and Washington Republicans to vote against South Florida families. Unlike Curbelo, I’ll always fight for what matters to South Florida and give this community a real voice in Congress.”
Curbelo, who represents a district that Hillary Clinton won by 16 points in 2016, is one of the most vulnerable House Republicans in the country. And while Curbelo has tried to paint himself as a moderate in South Florida, his record shows that is far from the truth.
Here are just a few of the lowlights:
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Voted 10 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, including for the most recent repeal legislation that would have imposed an age tax on older Americans;
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Helped write and later voted to pass the GOP tax plan that has been widely hailed as a tax handout for wealthy corporations and billionaires, and could personally enrich Curbelo’s family by $100,000;
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Took over $100,000 from the fossil fuel industry and voted with his party to protect subsidies for oil companies and to kill federal, state and local safeguards preventing polluters from dumping pesticide waste directly into our water supply;
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Has an embarrassing 23% score from the League of Conservation Voters, one of the nation’s most respected environmental advocacy organizations, for his terrible record on climate change.
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Infamously called Medicare and Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme” and supports Republican efforts to take away benefits seniors have earned through a lifetime of work.
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