[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9607-9608]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, we are only a little more than a week 
away from having to vote on a secret Republican healthcare bill, 
according to the timelines given by the majority leader to the press--
just 1 week away from voting on legislation that will reorder one-sixth 
of our economy and impact every single American in this country, and 
not a soul in America has seen it.
  I have never seen a more radical or reckless legislative process in 
my time in politics--write the bill in secret; discuss it in secret; 
send it to the CBO in secret; then rush it to the floor with no 
committee hearings, no amendments, and just 10 hours of debate for the 
minority.
  That is not how America ever got big things done. That is not how we 
do big things like healthcare in the Senate. That is hardly how we do 
small things, and my Republican friends know it.
  Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, said: ``I've always 
said I would have preferred a more open process.''
  Republican Senator Murkowski, from Alaska, said: ``If I'm not going 
to see a bill before we have a vote on it, that's just not a good way 
to handle something that is as significant and important as health 
care.''
  I couldn't have said it better myself.
  Republican Senator Moran said: ``My hope is that we treat the bill 
seriously, that we have hearings, that we have witnesses. I want 
regular order to work.''
  In addition, Republican Senators Rubio, Corker, Gardner, McCain, 
Collins, Paul, Daines, Fischer, Johnson, and Lee have all complained 
about the lack of transparency in the process.
  Why did they flatly refuse to say to the majority leader: Let's have 
a hearing. Let's accept amendments in committee. Let's have regular 
order and real debate on this bill. It is too important.
  If they do not want to say it to the majority leader directly, I hope 
they express their frustration with this process with their votes on 
the motion to proceed, which looks like we will have next week.
  We Democrats had all of the things they had asked for. They did not 
vote for our bill, those who were here, but at least they had input. 
They could offer amendments on the floor or in the committees, if they 
were in the relevant committees. They could debate.
  Not today. Not next week.
  Now, why is it that my Republican friends have resorted to such 
secrecy?
  There is only one reason: They are ashamed of their bill. They must 
think they are better off not talking about the bill publicly. We all 
know, if my Republican friends believed it was a good healthcare bill, 
one that actually lowered costs and improved care and helped more 
Americans afford insurance, they would be preaching it from the 
mountaintops. There would be a brass band down every Main Street in 
America that would be announcing this new legislation--but no. They are 
afraid to even whisper about their bill. They want it out in the open 
for as little time as possible in order for it to receive as little 
scrutiny as possible. They do not want the American people to see that 
their healthcare bill is little more than a vehicle to give another tax 
break to the wealthy, made possible by cutting care and raising costs 
on middle-class Americans and those who are struggling to get to the 
middle class.
  They do not want the American people to know their healthcare bill is 
mean, like President Trump said it was, because they do not think it 
could survive an open process so they are keeping it secret and leaving 
almost no time for its review. If a bill cannot survive scrutiny or 
public debate, if a bill cannot survive a committee process or the 
threat of a single, open hearing, it should never become law--plain and 
simple.
  Now, for months, we Democrats have tried to reach out to Republicans 
to bring an end to this dangerous game and move toward a bipartisan 
process. We want to improve our Nation's

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healthcare system. If Republicans were serious about wanting to improve 
our healthcare system, too, they would get the President to guarantee 
the cost-sharing payments, stop sabotaging our healthcare system, and 
come talk with Democrats about bipartisan solutions. Instead, they are 
just sabotaging the bill.
  As for the insurance companies which are pulling out of some 
exchanges and raising premiums, ask them; the No. 1 reason: no 
permanent cost sharing. Who is standing in the way of permanent cost 
sharing? The President and our Republican colleagues. They are the 
reason people are pulling out of exchanges and premiums are going up. 
They cannot escape that.
  We Democrats were willing to try to work with our colleagues. We 
asked to have a bipartisan meeting in the Old Senate Chamber so we 
could discuss this--just the 100 Senators--among one another. We were 
rejected on that. We have been rebuffed overall, but the invitation and 
sentiment remains. I would remind my Republican colleagues that time is 
getting short for them to change their minds.

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