[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 175 (Thursday, December 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8325-S8326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I wonder what my Republican friends do when
they are not here in Washington, DC. Do they bother to talk to their
constituents? Do they sit down and meet them at townhall meetings or
across a fence in someone's backyard? I have a hard time believing my
Republican friends are spending much time listening to constituents'
concerns. I already talked about guns today.
It seems to me what we are doing is counter to the needs of
constituents. This absurd--absurd--attempt to repeal the Affordable
Care Act through reconciliation is a perfect example. Every day the
Republican leader comes to the floor and rails against ObamaCare, yet
more than 10 percent of his constituents are benefiting from the
Affordable Care Act--500,000 people. I can't believe those people in
Kentucky are telling the Republican leader to take away their health
care.
Now, he is not alone in pushing the repeal that would expressly hurt
people back home. He and the junior Senator from Wyoming both oppose
the Affordable Care Act and the law's expansion of Medicaid, but their
own Republican Governor--the Governor of Wyoming--is using ObamaCare to
expand health coverage for the people of Wyoming.
Wyoming Governor Matt Mead is proposing a Medicaid expansion that
will help 17,000 people. Now, 17,000 people in the sparsely populated
State of Wyoming is a lot of people. Governor Mead wrote this to the
State legislature:
This economic boost would stabilize services and inject tax
dollars paid by Wyoming citizens back into Wyoming
communities. The numbers are compelling.
But apparently those facts are not compelling enough for the Senators
from Wyoming, who are both voting for repeal.
The Republican Senator from North Dakota has also been a critic of
the Affordable Care Act. Once again, his opposition does not jibe with
what North Dakota's Governor is saying. North Dakota Governor Dennis
Daugaard is fighting in the State legislature to expand Medicaid access
to residents. He is a Republican and served for 10 years as John
Hoeven's Lieutenant Governor, but Senator Hoeven will vote for repeal.
The junior Senator from Montana is opposed to Medicaid expansion.
Earlier in the month he seemed supportive of Montana's expansion of
Medicaid saying:
I respect the decision of our Legislature and our governor
on Medicaid expansion. I'm one who respects their rights and
voices.
But today, I am told, he will perform a breathtaking about-face and
vote to do away with Montana's health care.
There is a longer list. Republicans from Ohio, West Virginia, and the
State of Nevada have all embraced Medicaid expansion.
In Nevada, Governor Brian Sandoval is considered by many to be a star
in the Republican Party. But notwithstanding his party's anti-ObamaCare
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ideology, he displayed courage by expanding health coverage for tens of
thousands of Nevadans.
I hope my friend and fellow Senator from Nevada will follow our
Governor's example and stand for our constituents' health care. Too few
Republicans will. If ObamaCare is so awful, why are Republicans from
Kentucky, Wyoming, North Dakota, and New Hampshire so eager to use it?
It is simple: The Affordable Care Act expands coverage and cuts costs.
It is good for the States. That is why Arizona expanded Medicaid. It is
insuring hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, as we talk now.
I was disappointed with my friend. We served together, we came to the
House together, we came to the Senate together, and he is the senior
Senator from Arizona. He made it clear that he will vote for repeal, in
spite of all the people benefiting from ObamaCare back home. This is
what John McCain said: ``Obviously the Governor and Legislature in my
state decided that they wanted that program and so it is going to
trouble me in the vote.'' The senior Senator from Arizona acknowledged
that he is casting a vote in direct opposition to the needs of the
people of Arizona.
So if Republicans aren't listening to their constituents or State
leaders, to whom are they listening? As always, the answer is
corporations. Billion-dollar companies have no trouble getting
congressional Republicans to do their bidding. Even as they try to
snatch health coverage from 17 million Americans, Republicans are
throwing money at corporations. That is what they plan to do with the
money saved by repealing the Affordable Care Act. They will hand it
over to corporations in the form of tax breaks.
I have news for my own Republican friends: These multibillion-dollar
companies don't need your help. They are doing just fine on their own.
The American middle class needs help, but this Republican Congress is
doing nothing to aid working families. Why are we here if we are not
here to help people back home?
When Republican Presidential candidate John Kasich--somebody whom I
came to the House with in 1982--was asked earlier this year why he
chose to expand Medicaid in the State of Ohio, he gave this remarkable
answer:
When you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he's
probably not going to ask you much about what you did about
keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you
did for the poor. You better have a good answer.
That is from John Kasich. He is right. This is an opportunity to help
unfortunate Americans who lack quality health insurance. I only wish
Governor Kasich could convince the junior Senator from Ohio of that
simple truth.
I say to my Republican friends: Do the right thing; stop this
nonsense about repeal of ObamaCare. Everyone knows this repeal of the
Affordable Care Act is going nowhere. Instead of wasting everyone's
time and instead of ignoring the wishes of the people back home, let's
work together to improve health care coverage. There are a lot of
things we can do by working together to improve health care coverage
for Americans. Let's move beyond repeal and start making the Affordable
Care Act work even better for the American people.
Would the Chair announce the business of the Senate today.
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