Former ‘ER’ Star Noah Wyle Arrested In DC Protest

Noah Wyle was arrested Monday during a Capitol Hill protest. The former ER star and about 100 protesters were protesting to Congress for them to not cut Medicaid.

“Those cuts would reduce the hours of home health care aides being able to come in and give basic services, which would force people to basically give up their right to live in integrated, portable, accessible housing and put them in an institution,” Wyle said.  It’s a “very short-sighted economic decision because it costs up to four times as much to have somebody in an institution than it does to have them require some hourly assistance every day.”

Picture: E!

“As soon as everybody saw me being led away, they let up a big whooping cheer, which made me feel really good,” said Wyle.  Many of the protesters were in wheelchairs.

Wyle’s former “ER” co-star, George Clooney, was arrested during a demonstration in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington five weeks ago.

“Let George focus on the international; I’ll deal with the small domestic issues,” said Wyle.

He now plays the lead character in TNT’s science fiction series, Falling Skies.