*** Emergency Debt Ceiling Protests Tuesday At Noon (LOCAL TIME) ***

Protesters Will Call on Representatives to Stop Threatening to Destroy the American Dream

Washington, DC – As Washington continues to fail to reach a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling, voters will gather Tuesday at noon (local time) outside the offices of their members of Congress to demand that they do not destroy the American Dream by gutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid or pushing America into default for the first time in its history. Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the nation’s leading grassroots health care advocacy organization, is joining with a multitude of progressive organizations and the American Dream Movement to encourage supporters across the nation to take part in the protests.

The deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling is only a week away, and Republicans in Congress have shown they are more interested in scoring political points than fixing our nation's economic problems. Instead of supporting a balanced approached to solving the budget problems, Republicans in Washington are demanding severe cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid while ensuring that corporations and billionaires avoid paying their fair share. The GOP’s approach would paralyze Washington by forcing Congress to revisit this issue frequently instead of focusing on creating the jobs our country needs.

“The Republicans now have to decide if they want to govern or keep saying no to protect the wealthiest people and corporations in America,” said HCAN Executive Director Ethan Rome. “The GOP's extremist position against a balanced approach of spending cuts and revenues won't create a single job or help a single business keep its doors open. The Republicans' fanaticism and brinkmanship is out of control and puts at risk our economy and the financial security of all Americans.”

The American Dream Movement is a growing campaign inspired by protests in Wisconsin and fueled by the brutal right-wing attacks on the middle class and the poor. HCAN and countless organizations have joined the American Dream Movement to fight to ensure that we all have the opportunities to find a decent job, afford to go to college, and secure a future for our children and our communities.

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Health Care for America Now is the nation’s leading grassroots health care advocacy organization. HCAN led the fight over the past two years to win passage of health reform and to keep Congress from being steamrolled by corporate special interests.