[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11016]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                               HEALTHCARE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, one of the Senate's very first acts 
this Congress was to pass the legislative tools necessary to repeal 
ObamaCare. We did so because the American people, who had suffered for 
years under the failures of ObamaCare, were calling out for relief.
  Everyone knows about ObamaCare's skyrocketing costs and its 
plummeting choices. Too often, however, this discussion seems to veer 
into the abstract. These are not just numbers on a page. These are the 
lives of real people. These are the men and women we represent, 
Americans who are hurting, middle-class families who deserve better 
than ObamaCare's failures. We worked hard to provide them with a better 
way. We did so in the knowledge that this task would not be easy. We 
understood it would not come quickly. But we knew it was the right 
thing to do, so we pushed forward anyway. I believe we must continue to 
push forward now.
  I regret that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the 
failures of ObamaCare will not be successful. That doesn't mean we 
should give up. We will now try a different way to bring the American 
people relief from ObamaCare. I think we owe them at least that much.
  In the coming days, the Senate will take up and vote on a repeal of 
ObamaCare combined with a stable 2-year transition period as we work 
toward patient-centered healthcare. A majority of the Senate voted to 
pass the same repeal legislation back in 2015. President Obama vetoed 
it then; President Trump will sign it now.
  I imagine many Democrats were celebrating last night. I hope they 
consider what they are celebrating. The American people are hurting, 
they need relief, and it is regretful that our Democratic colleagues 
decided early on that they did not want to engage with us seriously in 
the process to deliver that relief.
  But this doesn't have to be the end of the story. Passing the repeal 
legislation will allow us to accomplish what we need to do on behalf of 
our people. Our Democratic friends have spoken a lot recently about 
wanting bipartisan solutions. Passing this legislation will provide the 
opportunity for Senators of all parties to engage with a fresh start 
and a new beginning for the American people.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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