GOP Congressman Admits He Didn't Even Read the Monstrous Health Care Bill He Just Voted For

Republican congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) is a pretty busy guy. So busy, in fact, that when it comes to condemning millions of people to die because they can’t get health care, he can’t even be bothered to read the actual bill he’s voting for.

On Thursday, just hours after the House GOP threw a victory kegger to celebrate the passage of the American Health Care Act, Collins appeared on CNN where he explained to host Wolf Blitzer that despite having green-lighted one of the most noxious pieces of legislation in recent memory, he hadn’t actually read the thing himself.

“I will fully admit, Wolf, I did not [read the bill],” an amazingly straight-faced Collins blurted, when pressed by Blitzer on whether he’d done the most basic due diligence his job requires. Instead, Collins explained, “I can assure you, my staff did.”

It seems, however, that Collins’ staff probably could have done a better job telling their boss what he was actually voting for. In an interview with his district’s Buffalo News paper, a reporter pointed out to Collins that under the legislation he’d approved, New York stood to lose $3 billion in federal funding providing aid to hundreds of thousands of people.

“Explain that to me,” Collins insisted. And, once the reporter pointed out that New York was one of two states participating in Obamacare’s optional Essential Health Plan—a low cost insurance option for some who are unable to qualify for Medicaid—Collins answered that he didn’t even know the program’s funding was at risk.

“But,” he added, “it doesn’t surprise me for you to tell me that there were two states in the nation that were taking advantage of some other waiver program and New York was one of the two states.”

Sounds like this guy really knows his stuff! Maybe some of the constituents he so blithely voted to screw over can help him brush up on the details.