Perez rips Chaffetz over iPhone, healthcare comments

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez on Tuesday slammed Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) over his remarks that Americans might have to choose between buying a new iPhone and affording health insurance.

“Rep. Jason Chaffetz is a shameless hypocrite,” Perez said in statement about the House Oversight Committee chairman’s remarks.

“He makes a six-figure taxpayer salary, has taxpayer subsidized healthcare, and he still thinks working Americans should be forced to choose between health insurance or owning a telephone.”

Perez knocked new legislation from House Republicans aimed at repealing and replacing ObamaCare.

“It’s no wonder why Republicans kept their plan hidden for so long,” said Perez, who was former President Barack Obama’s Labor secretary. “It’s also glaringly obvious why they’re so desperate to ram it through Congress — they don’t want the public to find out what’s in it.”

{mosads}“If passed, this plan will throw millions of Americans off their healthcare and make it more expensive for millions more, especially seniors who will see cuts to Medicaid and increased premiums. For many Americans, it’s a death sentence.”

Chaffetz earlier Tuesday said voters may have to make some tough choices with their spending.

“You know what, Americans have choices. And they’ve got to make a choice,” he said on CNN’s “New Day.”

“And so, maybe, rather than getting a new iPhone that they just love and they want to spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own healthcare.”

Chaffetz’s remarks came one day after House Republicans unveiled their long-awaited legislation for repealing and replacing ObamaCare.

Chaffetz later Tuesday tried clarifying the intent behind his original remarks.

“What we’re trying to say, and maybe I didn’t say as smoothly as I possibly could, but people need to make a conscious choice, and I believe in self-reliance,” he said on Fox News.

“And they’re going to have to make those decisions. We want people to have access to an affordable healthcare product.”

The two measures dismantle ObamaCare’s core aspects, including subsidies to help people buy coverage, Medicaid expansion, taxes and mandates requiring insurance.

The Congressional Budget Office has not completed its analysis of the plan, leaving estimates of its cost and how many people may lose coverage unclear.