Friend,

Ady Barkan is a healthcare hero. His inspirational devotion to our movement for Medicare for All helps me keep fighting every single day.

Ady’s battle with ALS has left him virtually paralyzed and without the ability to speak with his natural voice. He now relies on assistive technology to talk with his family and navigate the world.

So I was furious to learn that my colleague, Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, tweeted out a video edited and spliced with a fake version of Ady’s electronic voice, putting words in Ady’s mouth from an interview with Joe Biden. Steve manipulated Ady’s disability, and manipulated the truth, for political gain.

Here’s what Ady wrote in the Washington Post about this cruel attempt to manipulate his words:¹

“Of all the painful parts of this entire ordeal, which has now almost completely paralyzed me, one of the worst is the way the disease has robbed me of my natural voice. Last week, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise tried to use my computer-assisted voice to rob me of my agency, too.”

Join me in defending Ady from Steve Scalise’s disgusting attacks. Sign the petition demanding that Rep. Scalise resign from Congress.

I’ve been honored to meet with Ady personally and partner with him in our shared fight for Medicare for All:

We must not let Ady’s voice be silenced or altered as he fights on behalf of millions of people.

Ady has testified before Congress, he’s interviewed presidential candidates on their healthcare plans, and spoke at this year’s Democratic National Convention.

While Twitter did take the rare step of labeling Steve Scalise’s tweet “manipulated media,” and Scalise has since taken down the tweet, the violating video continues to spread online. And Steve continues to defend his disgusting behavior―which should disqualify him as a member of Congress.

Join me and sign the petition calling for Rep. Steve Scalise to resign from Congress.

Together, we’re gonna have Ady’s back, continue our shared fight for Medicare for All, and push for truth over lies!

In solidarity,
Rashida