[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 199-200]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first, I appreciate the remarks of my 
colleague the Republican leader. I understand the Republican leader's 
discomfort. There is a cry from his side to repeal, but it has been 6 
years and they have no plan to replace. Repeal without replace leaves 
20 million Americans who have had health care in the lurch; leaves 
college students who are 21 to 26 and have been on their parents' plan 
in the lurch; leaves women who are now getting equal health care 
treatment to men in the lurch; and leaves those who have families who 
have preexisting conditions, and now can get insurance but without 
ObamaCare couldn't, in the lurch.
  I understand the Republican leader's discomfort. Replace is not 
available because they can't come up with a plan. I appreciate his 
request to work with us. He has two choices. Our Republican colleagues 
have two choices: Either, once they repeal, come up with a replacement 
plan, and we will give it a look--they haven't been able to do it for 6 
years; they are squirming right now because they don't have one; they 
are leaving so many Americans who need health care in the lurch--or 
don't repeal and come talk to us about how to make some improvements. 
We are willing to do that.
  I will note that yesterday the vote to repeal without replace was 
totally partisan. My colleagues decried that the vote originally for 
ACA was partisan. This is equally partisan, and it is going to create 
huge trouble for our colleagues. Again, I will say to my Republican 
colleagues, your job is not to

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name call but to come up with a replacement plan that helps the people 
who need help--people who are now helped by the ACA but who will be 
left in the lurch once it is repealed.

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