Mazie Hirono Makes Senate Speech Against Health Care Bill Night Before Cancer Surgery

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) spent the hours before major surgery fighting against the controversial Republican health care bill. 

Hirono was diagnosed with kidney cancer in May and was to undergo surgery to remove a lesion on her rib Tuesday afternoon. But that didn’t keep her from doing her job Monday night. Hirono, 69, stood on the Senate floor to excoriate the legislation crafted by the chamber’s GOP leaders that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated would leave over 20 million Americans uninsured. 

“Trumpcare would be a disaster to the American people, and we’re fighting it tooth and nail,” Hirono said. “But I also want to be clear, what we’re fighting for.  We are fighting for universal health care that is a right, not a privilege, for every American. Tomorrow I’m going into surgery to remove the lesion I have on my rib, but I’m going to be back as quickly as I can to keep up the fight against this mean, ugly, bill.” 

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