[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H453]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPEAL OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  (Mr. CARBAJAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the first time as a Member of 
Congress to discuss an issue that is at the forefront of the American 
conscience and is one that I care deeply about: protecting and 
improving the Affordable Care Act.
  Today, over 45,000 of my constituents have access to reliable, 
affordable healthcare coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. These 
are seniors who would otherwise be unable to afford their prescription 
drugs. These are working families who no longer have to worry about 
being one illness away from bankruptcy. These are children who have 
been born with birth defects who would have previously been denied 
coverage for having a preexisting condition or reached their lifetime 
limits before they even started school.
  What concerns me most is this effort to repeal the Affordable Care 
Act without putting forth any sort of replacement. This will have real 
consequences for American families, and it is simply reckless 
governance. We cannot play politics with 20 million American lives who 
depend on the Affordable Care Act for access to quality, affordable 
health care. This is not a game.

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