Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015

Floor Speech

(Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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Mr. McGOVERN. I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, as we begin the second session of the 114th Congress, there is a long list of important issues that we could be talking about today.

We could be talking about ways to support job creation, to grow the economy, to improve gun safety, to strengthen national security, to pass an immigration reform bill, and many other important priorities.

Instead, we are talking about H.R. 3762, the latest attempt by House Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood and to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

As our economy continues to recover, we should be focused on expanding opportunity and helping more Americans get ahead. Instead, we are starting the new year by debating a bill that, if it ever became law, would put the health care of 22 million Americans in jeopardy and would further restrict women's access to vital healthcare services.

This is yet another blatant political move by Republicans to appeal to and to appease their right-wing base. Republican leaders have said it themselves. Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn called this a ``political exercise.'' He said, ``I think we all recognize the President isn't likely to sign this bill so it's not going to become a law.'' Then, why on earth are we wasting the American people's time with this terrible bill?

This month we have heard that Speaker Ryan ``will push to turn the House into a platform for ambitious Republican policy ideas.'' The 62nd vote to repeal or to undermine the Affordable Care Act. The 11th vote to attack women's health. Really? That is the platform for ambitious Republican policy ideas? I think the American people should sue Republicans for malpractice.

When Speaker Ryan took the gavel last fall, there was so much talk about a new chapter and fresh ideas. Instead, we are starting 2016 with more of the stale and politically motivated bills we have become accustomed to in this Republican-controlled Congress. We are constantly being told by Republicans that they have better ideas and that they have a better approach to health care. Really? Where is it?

I would remind my Republican friends that, in 2011, you passed a bill that actually tasked you to come up with an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. You came up with nothing. Just last year you passed another bill to come up with an alternative, and, once again, you came up with nothing.

Now here we are again with a bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act and that tasks the Republicans to come up with an alternative. I am curious. Where is your alternative? Maybe it is in your notes. Is it hidden in some secret room in the Capitol? Maybe Donald Trump has it. Perhaps we should alert the Capitol Police. Better yet, maybe we could call the FBI to locate the Republican plan on health care.

I remind my friends that you are in charge. You run this place. You can bring whatever you want to this House floor. Maybe you should bring a bloodhound to the House floor to try to find your alternative healthcare plan.

Governing is something that my friends on the Republican side are not very good at. They are very good about saying no to everything, but they can't say yes to anything. The Republican plan on health care is, essentially, a sound bite. Their prescription is ``take two tax breaks and call me in the morning.''

Not only have the Republicans done nothing to expand health care for the American people--and, again, they are in charge--but they have actually consistently tried to undermine health access for millions of Americans, to take health care away from people in this country.

If the Republicans had it their way and actually repealed the Affordable Care Act, millions of young people under the age of 26 would be thrown off their parents' health plans, being a woman would once again be a preexisting condition, and much more of the progress made by the ACA would be rolled back.

Mr. Speaker, contrary to what we often hear from Republicans, the Affordable Care Act is not killing the economy. I know facts get in the way of their arguments, but the fact is that America has seen a record 69 straight months of job growth and all signs point to this historic growth continuing.

In September 2012, when unemployment was at 8.1 percent, the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, claimed that the unemployment rate would stay at 8 percent if President Obama were reelected President. Well, President Obama was reelected President, and Mitt Romney was wrong. What actually happened? The unemployment rate has steadily dropped each year and is now at a 7-year low of 5 percent, with employers adding about 210,000 jobs a month through last November as more Americans get back to work.

One of the frequent Republican claims that we have heard is that businesses would shift to part-time workers to avoid the Affordable Care Act's requirement to provide healthcare coverage to full-time employees. A new study released this week shows that the ACA resulted in little change in the number of hours worked, including the first 6 months of 2015 when the employer mandate first took effect for larger companies.

As Politico noted, this study ``pokes a major hole in a beloved conservative talking point--that ObamaCare will force employers to cut employees' hours.'' The truth is that researchers found no major changes in the probability of people working fewer hours in 2013, 2014, or 2015.

We have also heard Republicans' claim that the ACA's expansion of Medicaid would decrease employment among low-income workers, but another study released this week showed no major changes in the way low-income workers fit into the labor market during the first 15 months of Medicaid expansion under ACA. Contrary to conservative talking points, the new coverage didn't push low-income adults to switch jobs, move from full-time to part-time work, or rush to find new jobs.

In fact, the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act has made a tremendous difference in increasing access to health care for America's most vulnerable families. Since October of 2013, more than 12.3 million Americans have been able to get coverage thanks to the expansion of Medicaid. As a result of marketplace coverage and Medicaid expansion, hospital uncompensated care costs were reduced by an estimated $7.4 billion in 2014, resulting in huge savings for consumers across this country.

That is the difference between us. Democrats believe health care is a right and my Republican friends believe it is a privilege.

To make matters worse, the bill before us today would also defund Planned Parenthood, which would put millions of low-income women--and men, I would add--at risk of losing access to critical health services. The fact is that one in five women has relied on a Planned Parenthood health center for care in her lifetime, and Planned Parenthood serves 2.7 million patients each year.

Additionally, Planned Parenthood clinics often serve as one of the few affordable care options available for many women and men. Cutting off access to the critical health services Planned Parenthood provides to some of our most vulnerable citizens is simply wrong. It is unconscionable. Sixty-three percent of voters, including 72 percent of independents, agree. This whole effort to defund Planned Parenthood fits the Republican pattern of targeting poor people, and, quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous.

While our Nation's community health centers do incredible work, the Republican claim that community health centers by themselves could suddenly pick up all the slack if Planned Parenthood is defunded is just not true, and my Republican friends know that. The idea that our community health centers could overnight suddenly step up and step in and cover millions of new patients is absurd. In fact, in 21 percent of the counties with a Planned Parenthood health center, Planned Parenthood is the only safety net family planning provider.

Finally, let me just also voice my strong objection to the provision in this rule which extends for another year the unrestricted authority for four House committees to conduct staff depositions at any time, on any subject, for any reason. Some committees have barely used this authority in the past year, and, when they have, it has often been abused with the threat of subpoena held over people's heads.

The power to compel American citizens to provide testimony under oath should be rarely used and specifically authorized. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, I think the American people are tired of the partisan witch hunts that we have grown accustomed to under this Republican leadership in this House.

We are starting the new year, not by working in a bipartisan way to do the people's business. Unfortunately, we are starting the new year debating the same old same old, bills that put politics ahead of people. Mr. Speaker, that is truly sad.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Schakowsky).

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Alabama says this is a monumental vote. Let me get this straight. A bill that is going to the White House that will get the fastest veto that we have ever seen ever happen in this country is somehow a monumental vote? I would suggest to my Republican colleagues, if they think this is a monumental vote, they have low standards.

This is a political sound bite. This is a waste of taxpayer money. This is just a waste of everybody's time. We ought to be talking about how to strengthen this economy, about how to get more people health care, not these political sound bites that really waste precious resources here in the Congress and, by the way, cost taxpayers money. All this wasted debate here, all this wasted time is costing taxpayers money.

Let's find ways to make the Affordable Care Act even better. Let's find ways to make sure that 100 percent of the people in this country have the health care that they need, not be debating a sound bite, by the way, that, if it ever passed, would throw 22 million people off of health care. How can you go back to your districts and be proud of that?

Loretta Sanchez).

I would just say that this debate is astonishing to me. What is so controversial on the Republican side is that millions and millions more Americans have health care. I heard someone over there say that fewer people have health care. They can't produce any validators to support that statement. CBO and a whole bunch of other validators have actually said more people have health care.

If they get their way, 22 million people will lose their health care. That is what this is about. This is about whether or not people in this country deserve health care or whether or not they don't, whether or not you think health care is a right or whether, as my Republican friends say, it is a privilege. We think it is a right.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Frankel).

I would just respond to the gentleman that the overwhelming majority of the American people actually support Planned Parenthood. That is in spite of all the attacks and all the accusations that have no basis and that have been hurled at them by my Republican friends.

I just want to remind my colleagues that Planned Parenthood provides a number of services to patients, such as family planning counseling and contraception. They provide pregnancy tests and Pap tests. They provide lifesaving breast exams.

This is an organization that provides for the health and well-being of millions of people in this country, mostly poor women. Maybe that makes it easier for my friends on the other side to attack this program and this organization--because they primarily provide help to poor women--but that is what Planned Parenthood is about.

And so this is an important organization, a good organization. That is why a majority of Americans support it. My friends are on the wrong side of public opinion on this.

Mr. Speaker,

I just have to correct the record. The gentleman said that taxpayer money should not be spent on abortions. It can't be. That is the law. I don't know what he is talking about.

I also should point out to the gentleman that more than 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is preventative care.

So I get it. It is the political rhetoric that people get carried away with. But let's at least try to stick to facts at least a little bit. Let's also understand--so my colleague has no confusion here--that the law here is that no taxpayer money can be spent for abortions. So let's clear that up.

Mr. Speaker,

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. Other than a verbal assault against Planned Parenthood and a verbal assault against the Affordable Care Act, this bill will do nothing. It is going to be vetoed really quickly. Maybe it is red meat for the political base, but if that satisfies your political base, great. I would say they are a cheap date if this is what it takes to satisfy them.

But we ought to be dealing with some serious issues here, and I am going to urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question. If we do, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up bipartisan legislation that would close a glaring loophole in our gun laws allowing suspected terrorists to legally buy firearms.

The bill would bar the sale of firearms and explosives to those on the FBI's terrorist watch list. I don't know why that is so controversial, but some of my friends find that to be a controversial issue.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker,

(Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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Mr. McGOVERN. I yield the gentleman an additional 20 seconds.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Jackson Lee).

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Mr. McGOVERN. Right now, just me.

Mr. Speaker, I have great affection for my friends on the other side of the aisle, but I don't understand their obsession with trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act or their obsession with trying to defund Planned Parenthood. I mean, if they get their way on the Affordable Care Act, they would throw 22 million people out of their health insurance plans; 22 million people would lose their coverage.

Young people who are 26 years old and under would lose their healthcare benefits. Right now they can stay on their family's healthcare plans up to 26. They would lose that.

It used to be that if you are a woman it would be considered a preexisting condition and your insurance rates would be higher. The Affordable Care Act prevents that.

The doughnut hole in the prescription drug plan, the cost to senior citizens, is closing. Ultimately, we will eliminate that doughnut hole because of the Affordable Care Act. That is all good.

Medicare's solvency has been expanded because of this. Millions more people have health insurance as a result. That is a good thing. But they want to take it away.

On Planned Parenthood, I mean, most of what they do is provide preventative care to women. They want to take that away. It is cruel. It is a cruel thing to do.

I can't believe that there isn't bipartisan consensus in this place that health care is something that people need and we ought to make sure they have access to it.

My friends have been in charge of this Congress for a long time. They can't even offer an alternative. They can tell us what they are against, but they can't tell us what they are for. They have done nothing to help expand the ability of people to get health insurance in this country. All they do is come to the floor and talk about repealing bills that will make it more difficult for people.

I can't understand how you get up every morning and go to work and that is your mission, to make it more difficult for people in this country, to throw 22 million people off the health insurance rolls, to make it more difficult for vulnerable women to get preventative care at Planned Parenthood.

That is the mission. That is how we are beginning this new year. And it really is sad, and it is really disheartening, I think, for a lot of us who came here to try to make a difference in people's lives, to try to help improve the quality of life for people.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this terrible, terrible bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

A recorded vote was ordered.

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