Schumer Floor Remarks on Senate GOP Efforts to Repeal ACA and the Russia Sanctions Bill

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding Senate Republicans’ effort to pass a “skinny” Affordable Care Act repeal bill as well as the Russia, Iran and North Korea sanctions legislation amid reports President Trump will veto the bill. Below are his remarks:

Mr. President, first, let me thank my colleague the senior Senator from Delaware, not only for his remarks, but for his constant, conscientious concern about this country in just about every area.

Whenever he speaks, it has a great deal of thought behind it because he’s always thinking. My guess is he thinks while he’s sleeping at night, he has so many thoughts. But, it also comes from a good soul and a good heart because he really cares about making this country better, and us working together in a bipartisan way to do that whenever we can.

So, I thank my colleague.

Now, Mr. President, it is likely at some point today, we’ll finally see the Majority Leader’s final healthcare bill – the bill he intends to either pass or fail.

Thus far we’ve been going through a pretense, defeating Republican bills that never had enough support even within their own caucus to pass. Repeal and replace has failed. Repeal without replace has failed. Now we’re waiting to see what the Majority Leader intends for the Republican plan on healthcare. If the reports in the media are true, the Majority Leader will offer a “skinny repeal” as his final proposal.

Democrats will offer no further motions or amendments until we see this “skinny bill,” but make no mistake, once we do see the bill, we will begin preparing amendments. In the event the bill fails, we can move directly to the NDAA and, out of deference to my dear friend Sen. McCain, we will work to move that piece of legislation quickly.

But if the skinny bill passes, remember, Democrats have an unlimited right after it passes, have a right to offer an unlimited amount of amendments. Now, many of my colleagues have many amendments on healthcare. They’ve just been waiting to see the final bill that Leader McConnell will bring to the floor. So, I want to put my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on notice: My Democratic and Republican colleagues that they should prepare for numerous Democratic amendments if the skinny bill passes. The skinny bill passing – hope it doesn’t, I don’t know if it will – but if it does, it won’t be the last vote. They will be many more after that to change it and to modify it.

I want everyone to understand that. I also want everyone in this body to understand the consequences of skinny repeal.

We Democrats asked the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to score skinny repeal based on the four and five provisions of the bill that seem to be what the Majority Leader is considering. Get rid of the individual mandate, get rid of the business mandate, get rid of the Cadillac Tax, get rid of the tax on medical devices, and get rid of some of the – I believe they considered getting rid of some of the essential healthcare provisions as well. Even if the actual bill is slightly different from the one we asked to be scored, the score will be pretty much the same.

So, to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who are thinking of voting for this “skinny bill,” listen to what CBO said:

The Congressional Budget Office – nonpartisan, headed by a republican who Senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan agreed to appoint – said that skinny repeal would cause 16 million Americans to lose insurance and millions of Americans would pay 20% more for their premiums, starting NEXT YEAR. Premiums would go up 20% - not three years from now, but in January according to CBO.

Let me repeat that: skinny repeal means 16 million fewer Americans with insurance, and premiums up 20% next year and stay there. It’s not that they go down later like in one of the CBO estimates of one of the other Republican bills. They stay there, higher every year. People paying more and more.

The premiums will go up immediately, as early as January 1st, as I mentioned, not three years forward, but January 1st. Now, one of the promises our Republicans friends have made over and over again was to bring down premiums, but skinny repeal would break that promise, and the American people would see it in just five months.

Yesterday, a bipartisan group of governors sent a letter urging us away from skinny repeal, warning that it would quote – these are the governors’ - bipartisan – it would “accelerate health plans leaving the individual market, increase premiums, and result in fewer Americans having coverage.” Governor Sandoval and Kasich, Republican governors and a few other Republican governors were on that letter.

Now, the argument from Republican Leadership is for Republicans to vote for this bill because they made a campaign promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

But I ask my Republican friends: Did you promise the American people that you would raise premiums on everyone? I didn’t hear that in the promises. That’s what skinny repeal does.

Did you promise the American people that you would take healthcare away from tens of millions? I didn’t hear that. That’s what skinny bill does.

Nope.

Republicans not only promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they promised to replace it with something better. I don’t know why somehow the first promise is more important than the second.

The skinny plan manages to anger everyone: conservatives, who know it’s a surrender, and know it doesn’t come close to the full repeal they promised, and moderates, who know it will be terrible for their constituents. Is this the one plan that finally unites the Republican Senate? A plan that angers everyone, conservatives, moderates, and perhaps most of all, the American people?

I can’t believe that and I hope it wouldn’t.

Now, if the Republicans pass such a devastating plan, either one or two things could happen.

The House could simply take up the skinny bill repeal – making all those terrible possibilities a reality. Premiums would go up in January, insurance markets would collapse. In fact if the House passed this skinny bill our entire healthcare system could well implode. Everyone who voted for it, regardless of motivation, will regret it.

Or they could take it to conference, well that’s a pathway for FULL repeal. In conference, the Freedom caucus will demand full repeal or something close to it, with all the associated cuts to Medicaid and tax breaks for the wealthy that so many here in the Senate have labored to undo.

So this thing is turning into a game of hot potato Mr. President. The House passes a bill they don’t like, they have to hurry it up, they had to do it twice, and passes the hot potato to the Senate. Senator McConnell is juggling that hot potato. Can’t get repeal. Can’t get repeal and replace. So he comes up with this plan which no one likes, but they say ok we can send the hot potato back to the House. How many more months is this going to go on? How many more months, when we could be sitting down in a bipartisan way, as my good friend from Arizona has recommended, and work together in the committee process.

This morning I saw Lamar Alexander the head of the HELP Committee in the gym. We see each other just about every morning in the gym. I was wearing, I think, my Syracuse t-shirt and he wears his Tennessee Volunteers t-shirt. I said to Lamar, if this skinny bill goes down as it should, we will –and I spoke to Patty Murray our ranking member—we will sit down and work in a bipartisan way to improve Obamacare. We know Obamacare needs some work. We don’t deny that. Let’s do it in a bipartisan way.

Instead of passing this hot potato back and forth, back and forth, back and forth – and not getting anything done.

And while our leaders are passing this hot potato insurers will lock in rates for the next year with this massive uncertainty hanging over their heads – leading to huge rate increases or decisions to pull out of markets.

Skinny repeal as a way to get to conference is a recipe for disaster. And beyond that, it’s a shameful way of legislating. My Republican friends should listen to the wonderful speech that the man we admire John McCain gave when he came back. We should be working in a bipartisan way. My republican friends, you shouldn’t be passing a bill that you don’t support or believe in. That you pray won’t become law.

If you believe this bill should become law, vote yes.

If you don’t believe a bill should become law, you vote no – plain and simple. And we can resume in the finance committee and in the HELP committee, a bipartisan process of making the present healthcare system better, which needs to be done.

You don’t vote to advance terrible legislation and hope it magically gets better in conference. Let’s not forget, months ago, many House Republicans justified voting for their nightmare bill because they thought it would get better in the Senate. It hasn’t gotten any better. In fact, it has gotten WORSE. A conference will be no different.

Voting yes on a bill you don’t support just to get to conference is an unserious way of legislating, particularly on this issue.

But that’s so far what the Republican Leader has been doing. And there may be no better example than the amendment offered by Republican Sen. Daines that favors Medicare for all.

I can’t believe that that is happening because all Republicans are going to vote against it. It’s just pure cynicism, pure politics, not a serious effort to legislate and make things better when people need help. Sen. Daines doesn’t support the bill; he just wants to get Democrats on the record. The Majority Leader has made pending an amendment that both he and the author of the amendment will oppose. And that’s the very definition of a political game. We Democrats aren’t going to play along. Because Mr. President, this isn't a game. This isn't a joke. It’s not hot potato. We're talking about people's lives. We don’t have time for phony amendments or phony bills. You don’t play games with the healthcare of the American people. 

And as I said, anyone who listened to the eloquent words of my dear friend from Arizona should blush at this process. His was a clarion call that both sides of the aisle can do better. He criticized his side for being partisan and he criticized our side for being partisan. He’s right on both counts. We all can do better. Let’s start. Daines amendment does not do that, that’s for sure. The only answer, we’ll start over together, work together through regular order, and get some legislation that we can all live with.

Now on other point on Russia sanctions. It’s apropos. I didn’t know he’d be here when I read all this stuff. My good friend from Arizona is here. Even as we debate other items on the floor, we should not delay this legislation on Russia sanctions any longer. 

Last night, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee here in the Senate said he was ready to move the package quickly. That’s what Senator Corker said and I’m glad he did.

I will work with the Majority Leader to send this legislation to the President’s desk before the recess. We have already cleared this legislation on the Democratic side. We are prepared to move this legislation by unanimous consent at any time.

Now I hope the White House signs this.

This morning, the White House Communications Director said that President Trump may veto the legislation so “he could make a tougher deal” with Russia than Congress.

The idea that the President would veto this legislation in order to toughen it up is laughable. I’m a New Yorker, too and I know bull when I hear it.

If the President vetoes this bill, the American people will know that he’s being soft on Putin. That he’s giving a free pass to a foreign adversary who violated the sanctity of our democracy by meddling in our election, and seeks to undermine democracy and the American way of life in any way he can.

I hope and expect that if the President decides to use the first veto of his presidency on this bill, Congress will swiftly override.  And I see my friend the Majority Leader here, I appreciate his work on making this Russian sanctions bill happen and be available as well. So I hope we get this to the House, get the House bill to the President’s desk and I would hope the President signs it.

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