Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 2, legislation to repeal the job-destroying health care law that was rushed through Congress last year. The American people have repeatedly voiced their frustration over the way the health care law put the government between patients and their doctors. They have protested this law's outrageous Federal mandates and high taxes. They have demanded that reform of our Nation's health care system focus not on bigger government, not on more bureaucrats, but on targeted, commonsense changes that encourage competition and better choices.

But instead of listening to the people, Washington gave them a law that piles more than $500 billion in tax increases on families and small businesses. This law will force as much as 80 percent of all small businesses to give up their current coverage and could cost our economy 1.6 million jobs, 1 million of which could come from small businesses.

All of these new regulations and restrictions included in the law will make it more difficult for small businesses to hire new workers, expand their operations, and offer competitive wages. With unemployment still hovering above 9 percent, families and businesses simply cannot afford more regulations and red tape from Washington. It is going to make jobs more scarce and further slow our economic recovery.

My Republican colleagues and I repeatedly tried to reach across the aisle to craft a better bill when this was pushed through. I was disappointed that rather than listen to their counterparts, the American people, those in charge when this was pushed through chose to put a completely partisan, widely unpopular bill through the people's House.

We now have an opportunity to give the people what they want by repealing this law and replacing it with meaningful reforms that will cut costs and increase access without creating big problems for businesses or piling more unsustainable debt on future generations.

I urge my friends and Members to vote in favor of repeal of this legislation, and join me in implementing better solutions for improving our Nation's health care system.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle continue to claim that the health care law is actually going to benefit small businesses despite the mountain of facts that are out there. Specifically, and what was argued earlier, is that the health care tax credit's going to make it easier for employers to offset the costs that are being required to provide health insurance. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Any potential assistance from this tax credit is far outweighed by the tax increases and paperwork burdens that this law is going to pile on small businesses.

Madam Speaker, the American people spoke loudly in November. And we need to make sure that we move away from the health care law that penalizes our Nation's entrepreneurs and place a renewed focus on enacting targeted, commonsense reforms that increase access and lowers costs.

Madam Speaker, with that I would urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2, and let's get back on track.

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