[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

[[Page S8326]]

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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