Murphy Decries Secretive, Partisan Process Behind Republicans’ New Health Care Bill

September 19, 2017

Contact Laura Maloney 202-228-1056

MURPHY DECRIES SECRETIVE, PARTISAN PROCESS BEHIND REPUBLICANS' NEW HEALTH CARE BILL

Go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch'v=tfjQNADEus&t=52s to view video of Murphy's remarks.

WASHINGTON - During a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) criticized Senate Republicans for abandoning the bipartisan process the HELP Committee committed to just several weeks ago and for pushing a new health care repeal bill - called Graham-Cassidy - without any debate, hearings, or analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Murphy called on Republicans to drop their partisan efforts to repeal the ACA and instead work with Democrats to craft a bipartisan bill that improves health care for all Americans.

"If this bill comes before the Senate next week, not only will it blow up all of the good work that has been done on this committee to try to find a bipartisan solution, but it will also be voted upon without any, any understanding of how much it costs, how many people it hurts, what it does to premium increases," said Murphy. "I took it on faith that this committee was truly dedicated to a bipartisan committee process that was real. I spent the last two weeks working hard to study up for our hearings with experts and governors and insurance commissioners. I don't know whether you can fix the Senate if this process that we were all asked to take part in breaks down and a partisan bill comes before the Senate next week. I hope that everyone on the committee will do whatever's possible to stop that from happing."

Highlights of Murphy's remarks are below:

I want to use my time to just raise similar concerns to others about the process going forward on health care reform. I worry that we're watching a Charlie Brown and Lucy move be perpetuated on the Democrats on this committee. I took it on faith that this committee was truly dedicated to a bipartisan committee process that was real. I spent the last two weeks working hard to study up for our hearings with experts and governors and insurance commissioners. I sat through those hearings. I had multiple discussions with the Chairman and other members of this committee about paths forward, only to receive news through the press that the intent of leadership may be to bring a repeal bill once again before the Senate that has not gone through this committee, that has not gone through the Finance Committee, that has not received a hearing, that has not gone through a markup, and incredibly, may come before the Senate without even receiving a CBO score.

And so I am hopeful that we are going to reinvest in our bipartisan process here. Because when I spent time back in my state over the course of August, I heard one thing loud and clear from Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated voters. They wanted us to stop the political games and come together, and try to find a bipartisan compromise to keep what works in the Affordable Care Act and get rid of what doesn't work, or fix what doesn't work. And we are very close to achieving that on this committee.

And so I am really hopeful that this was not a ruse. That this was not all a distraction to make sure that Democrats on this committee - who tend to spend the most time working on health care policy - didn't use the last few weeks to study up on Graham-Cassidy, to get serious about talking about its danger to our constituents. And instead, got pulled into a committee process and a bipartisan legislative process that in the end, may be simply used as cover and distraction to get a partisan bill passed through the United States Senate.

I know there are a lot of members of this committee who care about the traditions and precedent of the Senate. And if you care about the traditions and precedent of the Senate, then you can't support this process or this bill. It was bad enough that for the first six month of this year, this committee was totally cut out of any discussion of the repeal bill that was being developed behind closed doors and ultimately moved to a vote before the Senate. And I said multiple times here that I didn't really see the point of continuing to show up if this committee wasn't going to ultimately weigh on a reordering of the entire American health care system. But this is even worse. At least Republicans waited for a CBO score, waited to find out what the bill did, before bringing it for a vote.

And what we're hearing is that if this bill comes before the Senate next week, not only will it blow up all of the good work that has been done on this committee to try to find a bipartisan solution, but it will also be voted upon without any, any understanding of how much it costs, how many people it hurts, what it does to premium increases. I think we're at a point now where the Republican majority, if they walk away from this bipartisan process and move to a vote on the floor on a bill that no one understands, will have completely broken the U.S. Senate. It will be unfixable. It will be unfixable if we were all asked to be part of this bipartisan process, have the rug pulled out from under us, and a bill voted on that has no CBO score reordering 1/5 of the American economy.

So Mr. Chairman, I don't have any questions for the witnesses because I think this is a really dire moment for this country and for the future of the Senate. And as a new member, as someone who hopes to be around the Senate for a long time, I don't know whether you can fix the Senate if this process that we were all asked to take part in breaks down and a partisan bill comes before the Senate next week. I hope that everyone on the committee will do whatever's possible to stop that from happing.