Breaking the Gridlock Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, for the past year we have been talking about the damage done by not extending tax credits for the Affordable Care Act. Now this year, no longer is it theory. It is fact. It is no longer talk. It is pain.

The fact is 20 million people are feeling the pain with their healthcare costs going up. Millions more are losing health insurance. In my district, tens of thousands are going to be paying more for healthcare.

Today, the fact is that we can do our jobs and, rather than take healthcare away, we can actually help fix it. I commend all of my Democratic colleagues and, yes, even a few on the Republican side that signed the discharge petition and will vote for this bill today, a day in a week that has been absolutely hectic.

Rather than constantly responding to the craziness from this administration, by voting ``yes,'' Congress can finally focus on the substance of fixing healthcare. The fact is this bill is a short-term fix for extending tax credits. It is also a vehicle for our Senate colleagues to use so that we in Congress can provide a long-term fix to provide people with affordable and accessible healthcare.

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