[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 115 (Monday, July 10, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION

  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, before the Senator, our leader, yields the 
floor, will he yield for a quick question?
  Mr. SCHUMER. I would be happy to yield to my friend from Florida.
  Mr. NELSON. The Senator told about the comments that have been made 
during the July 4th recess--comments about the healthcare bill--to 
various Senators.
  Would the Senator believe that this Senator had innumerable people 
come up to him all over Florida, whatever venue that I was in--and I 
was in public venues quite a bit--and say: Please don't let them take 
away my healthcare.
  Would the Senator further believe that, in visiting the State of an 
unnamed Republican Senator where that Senator and I ended up in an 
airport together in that Senator's State, lo and behold, this Senator 
observed innumerable constituents of that Republican Senator in the 
airport coming up and saying: Please don't take my healthcare 
away. Would the Senator believe that?

  Mr. SCHUMER. In answer to my friend, I absolutely would because I 
have experienced the same thing. I was in my State in many areas that 
are Republican, many areas that Donald Trump carried. The same thing 
happened. I have not previously seen this depth of concern from people 
of all different backgrounds, all different economic levels, all 
different races, religions, creeds, colors saying the exact same thing. 
People are so afraid of this TrumpCare bill that they are begging us, 
almost, to please stop it. In answer to the Senator's question: No, I 
am not surprised because I have experienced the same thing in some of 
the most conservative, rural, Republican parts of my State during this 
break.
  Mr. NELSON. I would say just quickly, and further, that this Senator 
gathered up a group of constituents who had written to our office. In 
this particular case it was the Tampa office, and three of them have 
been helped enormously by being on the Federal exchange, since the 
State of Florida has not adopted an exchange. One person who is on 
Medicaid said that they would not be alive had they not had the 
sanctity and the integrity of the existing Medicaid system, which 
covers some 70 million people in the country.
  Would the Senator tell me, is it accurate that the Senate Republican 
bill would eviscerate Medicaid by taking some $800 million out of 
Medicaid over a decade?
  Mr. SCHUMER. The Senator is exactly correct. It affects people across 
the board, including these fine people whom I met at the Utica 
Boilermaker 15K race.
  I thank my colleague for his, as always, astute questions.

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