American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon told the Values Voters Summit that Donald Trump was acting to “blow up” the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces by cutting-off payment of cost-sharing reductions.

“Donald Trump’s former chief strategist just admitted what has been obvious since Trump took office: this administration is actively sabotaging marketplaces in the name of politics. While the administration has tried to mislead the public about their efforts, Steve Bannon just tore their facade apart and told the truth – getting cheers from the Republican base.

“Trump’s executive order will cause economic and medical hardship for countless families across the country, and now Bannon has ensured that everyone knows this was done intentionally, and for partisan reasons. The country is going to hold Republicans accountable.”

This week Trump issued two executive orders that took the administration’s months-long efforts to sabotage the ACA to a new height, both of which were repudiated by medical experts and patient advocacy organizations.

In August, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that ending cost-sharing reductions would worsen chaos in marketplaces and cause health insurance premiums on the individual market to increase by 20%.

WATCH:

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon: “Then you had Obamacare. Not going to make the CSR payments, going to blow that thing up; going to blow those exchanges up, right?” (applause)