Protecting Healthcare for Millions of Americans
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, as a Member from California, I yield to my colleague from the great State of Utah, Congressman Blake Moore, so they can continue honoring Congressman Doug LaMalfa.
Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say Doug was a kind and gentle giant. He was firm and fair. He was wise, and he was funny.
I remember one day in the Agriculture Committee when he spoke for 5 minutes. He spoke so long that he finally remembered that he forgot to leave people any time to answer his questions. It was a pretty funny moment for the committee. He laughed about it, and he didn't make that mistake again.
Mr. Speaker, I will say this about him. He was 100 percent American. When the local sheriff's department asked for help with people who knew how to operate diesel equipment, Doug showed up. Doug is the one. He is the Member of Congress that we saw on camera, getting on a bulldozer, saying: I love the smell of diesel power in the afternoon. It smells like victory.
Mr. Speaker, Doug LaMalfa and only Doug LaMalfa.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. RIVAS.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, my condolences to the family of former Congressman Doug LaMalfa.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to be here on the floor today to lead this important discussion with my Congressional Progressive Caucus colleagues about protecting healthcare for millions of Americans.
Earlier today, the House voted to pass Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' bill to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits for 3 more years. I thank Leader Jeffries for his relentless leadership to make today's vote a reality.
House Democrats have been fighting for months to save these critical tax credits and for years to protect the Affordable Care Act from Republicans' constant attacks.
The ACA tax credits are the reason that record numbers of Americans have health insurance today. The ACA tax credits lower monthly premiums and make coverage realistic for working families, small business owners, seniors not yet eligible for Medicare, and people who fall through the cracks of employer-based insurance.
Because of these tax credits, people can go to the doctor before a problem becomes an emergency. They can manage chronic conditions. They can live with dignity instead of fear of bankruptcy.
Democrats did not give up on the American people, unlike many Republicans, who chose to let these tax credits expire 1 week ago. That is right. When the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year's Eve, millions of Americans saw their healthcare premiums rise. That is a direct result of the healthcare crisis that Republicans created through their inaction on Americans' most pressing concerns.
Over the past year, instead of working on meaningful solutions to lower the cost of groceries, lower the cost of housing, or protect healthcare, Republicans chose to rename the Gulf of Mexico, redefine what a showerhead is, rename The Kennedy Center, look into annexing Greenland, and regulate fridges and gas stoves.
Yet, in all seriousness, there are real problems that our country is facing. ICE is terrorizing communities across the country, and yesterday, masked agents murdered Renee Nicole Good in broad daylight in Minnesota. Trump is entertaining entering another war with Venezuela. Vaccines are being rolled back, which will make students and communities sicker. Americans are struggling to afford basic goods.
Speaking of affordability, we are in the middle of an affordability crisis that Republicans refused to address. Republicans chose to shut down the government instead of extending the ACA tax credits to help Americans afford healthcare.
During the longest shutdown in government history, my colleagues and I heard from our constituents about how Republicans' inaction to extend the ACA tax credits would impact them. I hand-delivered several of these stories from my freshman colleagues to Speaker Johnson so that he could see how his shutdown was creating hardship for Americans from California to New Hampshire, Washington, and everywhere in between.
In my district, the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, nearly 31,000 people would have seen their healthcare costs rise if the ACA tax credits expired, and nearly 11,000 people would have lost access to healthcare entirely.
Additionally, a 60-year-old couple in my district earning nearly $83,000 per year would have seen their annual premiums rise by nearly $14,000, and a family of four earning nearly $130,000 a year would have seen their annual premiums rise by over $6,000. This is just in my district.
Republicans were willing to let this happen to Americans across the country, regardless of political affiliation.
I am proud to have voted with my colleagues to pass Leader Jeffries' bill to extend the ACA tax credits and protect healthcare, but our work is not done. The Senate needs to take up this bill immediately so that Americans don't have to worry about their premiums skyrocketing. In the richest country on Earth, no one should have to worry about choosing between paying for groceries, making rent, or having healthcare.
Randall), my cohost for tonight's Special Order hour and my friend and fellow freshman classmate from the beautiful State of Washington.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Hoyle).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Ansari).
Mr. GOLDMAN of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California and Representative Randall for hosting this Special Order.
Seven days ago, the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits expired. For years, these credits allowed millions of Americans to afford health insurance that they would otherwise not be able to get. For tens of millions of others, these tax credits drastically lowered premiums--for some families, by as much as thousands of dollars. They gave working families essential relief amidst an ongoing cost-of-living crisis that Donald Trump has only made worse.
Without these tax credits, an estimated 5 million Americans will lose their insurance as a result of higher premium costs.
Today, House Democrats successfully forced this body to vote to extend those tax credits so that those 5 million Americans can hold on to their health insurance with a 3-year extension of these premium tax credits, and it passed this body.
Now, this bill goes to the Senate, which must pass it in order to save health insurance for millions of Americans.
In my State of New York alone, more than 140,000 people relied on the tax credits. These credits also supported an additional 1.7 million New Yorkers who would probably otherwise not be able to afford health insurance.
One constituent of mine who lives in public housing and holds a good job told me that without these tax credits, her monthly premiums have gone from $450 to more than $1,000, which she simply cannot afford. She is in her sixties and will be left with no health insurance.
It is not just those eligible for the tax credits who will suffer. That is because when people lose coverage, they don't stop getting sick. They delay preventative care. They skip prescriptions. They end up in emergency rooms. Emergency rooms become overrun, and care gets worse and more delayed. Costs rise for everyone, and all outcomes suffer.
Because of months of inaction by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, those tax credits have expired and will be gone without this legislation that we passed today. This is nothing short of a crisis, and it is a crisis created entirely by the President of the United States and his Republican Party.
Let me say this clearly to the American people. If you cannot afford health insurance anymore, you have one person and one party to blame: Donald Trump and the Republican Party. It is the same party that cut taxes for billionaires and cut Medicaid for working-class Americans.
Mr. Speaker, you can count on one thing at all times with this Republican Party: They will always choose billionaires over babies.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time I have remaining.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who participated in this Special Order hour on the ACA tax credits. The Affordable Care Act tax credits are why our country has a record-high number of insured people.
Like many of my colleagues who today shared stories of their constituents and how this will impact them and their daily lives, I also have heard many stories from my own constituents. This includes Angel from San Fernando. Angel's husband is self-employed, and she works part time. Because of the ACA, they can have reliable healthcare that covers her husband's preexisting conditions. Angel is dreading the update that will make healthcare more costly. They will have to make it work, but it will come at an extreme hardship. Angel and her husband are two of the over 31,000 people in my district who will see their healthcare costs rise if the ACA tax credits are not extended.
Another constituent from North Hollywood said that their costs will more than double. They write: ``My husband and I are already scraping by, living paycheck to paycheck each month. Rent and groceries are both harder to pay for. I also have two kids who are on Medi-Cal.'' Families of four like this woman's will be forced to pay over $6,000 more this year if the ACA tax credits are not extended.
Mr. Speaker, I am sure Congresswoman Randall has heard hundreds of stories from her constituents, too, and would like to share some with us.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Randall for sharing those stories. We are hearing these stories from all over the country, not just blue States, but also red States, everywhere.
The Affordable Care Act tax credits keep healthcare affordable for all Americans. If the Senate does not act immediately, constituents like Stephen from Van Nuys will bear that burden. Stephen and his wife are both independent contractors who pay for their own health insurance. In 2026, they are facing a monthly increase of over $1,000 a month each. This is absolutely unacceptable in the United States.
Before I close, I thank Congresswoman Randall for joining me for tonight's discussion and would like to yield to her for any closing remarks she may have.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Randall and thanks again to my other colleagues who spoke tonight.
Today's vote will help keep healthcare affordable for millions of Americans, but our work isn't done. The Senate needs to pass this bill immediately, and then we need to get back to work on progressive and equitable solutions that leave no family behind.
Families are still facing high costs for housing, childcare, groceries, and other everyday necessities. House Democrats and the Congressional Progressive Caucus will continue to stand with the American people to protect their healthcare against Republicans' attacks and keep the American Dream attainable for all.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source