Tlaib votes ‘no’ on Democratic Party platform

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said that she voted “no” on the Democratic Party’s 2020 platform Saturday because it does not include a plan for a single-payer health care system. 

“Today, I cast my DNC ballot and voted NO on the proposed platform,” Tlaib tweeted Saturday. “I constantly hear from constituents demanding we push for a single-payer system and away from this for-profit system that is leaving people to suffer and die just because they cannot afford health care.”

Today, I cast my DNC ballot and voted NO on the proposed platform. I constantly hear from constituents demanding we push for a single-payer system and away from this for-profit system that is leaving people to suffer and die just because they cannot afford health care. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/cYghYNu6TI

— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) August 16, 2020

The Democratic platform currently includes a public option for health care instead of the single-payer “Medicare for All” proposal that progressives such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have pushed for in the past. 

“As a party, we must push for a future where every resident has the ability to thrive,” Tlaib said. “That means we need a platform that works to rid our society of oppression and greed. Unfortunately, in my view this platform does not do enough.”

The platform will most likely pass at this week’s Democratic convention, where the party is expected to officially nominate former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) for the presidential ticket. 

In a photo of her ballot posted to Twitter, Tlaib also said she was voting to nominate Sanders, who dropped out of the race in April. Tlaib endorsed Sanders during the presidential primary earlier in the race. 

The convention will feature speakers from across the party’s ideological spectrum, including progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sanders, as well as former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

This report was updated on Aug. 16 at 5:56 a.m.