CHICAGO —William McNary, president of USAction and co-director of Citizen Action/Illinois, today issued the following statement on the passing of Sen. Edward Kennedy:

“What distinguished Senator Kennedy’s values from the political mainstream was not just his support for a set of policies, but his willingness to take risks and fight for what he believed in. Whether the issue was health care, education or inequality, Senator Kennedy’s moral clarity projected an authenticity that appealed to Americans across the political spectrum. To the Kennedy family, we offer our condolences on the loss of their patriarch. To the progressive movement, we offer our condolences on the loss of our champion. Let us rededicate ourselves to his concerns so that his hopes, his dreams and his work live on in us.”

Since its inception in 1999, health care has been at the forefront of USAction’s issue advocacy. USAction is a founder of Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the nation’s largest public health care campaign, and USAction Executive Director Jeff Blum serves as co-chair of HCAN’s steering committee.