Over 180 Health Care Protesters Arrested By U.S. Capitol Police

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Capitol Police arrested 181 people during protests about the GOP Health Care Bill outside the Capitol Monday afternoon.

The protesters came in opposition to the Graham-Cassidy bill, the latest attempt by the GOP to overhaul Obamacare. The legislation would cut federal funding for health care and weaken consumer protections for insurance, while reallocating money across the states.

"No cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty!" protesters chanted.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee where the only hearing on Graham-Cassidy was being held, called a recess to the proceedings as the protesters disrupted the process.

"If you want a hearing, you'd better shut up," Hatch told the protesters.

Capitol Police arrested 15 people and charged them with disruption of Congress. Another 166 people were arrested after they refused to clear the halls.

Allison Ollstein, a journalist with Talking Points Memo, reported that protesters had camped out in the Capitol building since 5 a.m. They filled the room ahead of the hearing, and they began chanting as soon as Hatch banged his gavel to begin.

One by one, the Capitol Police removed the protesters, many of whom were disabled, from the room.

Chanting continued outside the room even after they protesters were removed. Ollstein reported that after the protesters were cleared, other members of the public were not allowed to fill their seats.

Users took to Twitter to discuss the protests:

Several grassroots organizations are planning a Die-In on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon to continue to protest.

Protestors will meet at 1:30 p.m. at the Russell Senate Building at 2 Constitution Ave. NE, according to a press release from the Working Families Party. Dozens of people will "die" on the floor of the building and many will be covered in sheets.

“If the GOP succeeds on Graham-Cassidy, tens of thousands of people will die,” Nelini Stamp, Organizing Director at Working Families Party, said in a statement. “Health care is a human right -- and we need to be working to ensure more Americans have access to life-saving care, not less.”

The bill would reduce the funding currently allocated through Obamacare and redistribute it across the states. Initial estimates projected that overall, federal health spending would be cut by more than $200 billion by 2026, and 34 states would see reduced funding. It would completely tear down the federal infrastructure for health care marketplaces and encourage each state to design the system and regulations on its own, which could leave people with preexisting conditions facing higher costs for their care.

"The number of people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events would be reduced by millions compared with the baseline projections for each year during the decade," the office said. "That number could vary widely depending on how states implemented the legislation, although the direction of the effect is clear."

Republicans need 50 senators to support the bill for it to pass.

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Patch Editor Cody Fenwick contributed to this report.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images