Stories From Home: the Human Cost of Expiring Healthcare Tax Credits

Floor Speech

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Ms. BROWN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for leading tonight's Special Order hour. I thank my colleagues in the CBC for standing up for this fight.

The fight to protect healthcare is another reminder of why I am so proud to be part of the Congressional Black Caucus. The members I serve with are truly the conscience of the Congress.

Since January 20, 2025, we have not given 1 inch to this cruel, callous, chaotic, and corrupt White House. The truth is, the communities we represent, including my hometown of Cleveland, cannot afford Trump's agenda. Working people cannot afford Trump's agenda, and Black America cannot afford Trump's agenda.

There is an expression: When America catches a cold, Black America gets the flu. I would argue it is more like COVID before the vaccine.

We can't afford the tariffs. We can't afford the bailouts. We can't afford the tax giveaways to the Mar-a-Lago guest list. We can't afford the largest cuts to Medicaid and to the Affordable Care Act in this Nation's history.

Let's be clear about what is happening. We are living through a reverse Robin Hood story in America.

It hasn't always been this way. Because of the work of President Obama, President Biden, and Democrats in Congress, the Black uninsured rate fell to historic lows last year. That is right. We went from 20 percent of Black Americans being uninsured to just 10 percent.

It is not just Black Americans or people living in cities who have benefited. In fact, some of the Whitest and most rural parts of America rely on the Affordable Care Act the most, including a lot of farmers in my State of Ohio.

There were a lot of gaps in the old system. There were a lot of holes in the safety net. If Trump has his way, there are going to be a lot more holes in the net and a lot more people without healthcare-- millions more, to be exact.

Mr. Speaker, 38,000 people in my district are facing huge healthcare cost increases because of Trump's ACA cuts. The average cost increase is $700 per person per year. A lot of families will have to pay thousands more. Their voices should be heard, and we are uplifting their voices.

Here is what Talia from Cleveland shared with my office: ``I logged into healthcare.gov to renew my plan for next year, and my monthly premium multiplied by a factor of four. It is currently set to be four times as much for health insurance as it was this year. I didn't go ahead and enroll yet because I am hoping Congress gets their heads in the game to do what is right. I am not making any more money this year than I did last year. My income is the same. Rent is going to increase. Gas is increasing. Groceries are increasing. Utility bills are increasing--and now my healthcare, too. It is becoming impossible to survive in this country.''

Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with Talia. To my colleagues across the aisle, I implore you to stop protecting the powerful. Stop serving the wealthy. Start listening to the people.

Truly, it is time for Congress to get their heads in the game. I thank Talia for sharing her story, and I want to assure her we will not give up on this fight.

It is time we work together to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, and protect healthcare for all Americans.

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