Sen. Hatch: GOP United in Repealing and Replacing Obamacare

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 -- Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news:

In a speech on the Senate floor today, Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) outlined his views for a responsible repeal and replacement of Obamacare and said that while Republicans are united in achieving repeal and replace, reconciling initial policy differences is a natural part of the legislative process that is needed to build consensus.

"The purpose of the legislative process - particularly the process we use here in the Senate - is to allow differences to be aired and worked through so that, at the end of the process, consensus can be reached. Differing views on some issues at the beginning of the process are to be expected, and once again, they are hardly noteworthy." Hatch said. "Case in point, Republicans are united in our desire to repeal and replace Obamacare. The vast majority of us want reforms that are more patient-centered and market-driven, and, as far as I know, pretty much all of us want to return most of the authority for regulating the health care system to the states."

Hatch went on to say that despite efforts to split Republicans over the details in repealing and replacing Obamacare, the final goal remains the same.

"I don't know of a single Republican who doesn't want to get rid of Obamacare. I certainly don't know any Republicans who are fine with the status quo in our healthcare system," Hatch continued. "That being the case, no one should be trying to parse anyone's words or split hairs in order to manufacture divisions in the Republican ranks on repealing and replacing Obamacare. I have little doubt that we can work through whatever differences do exist and, more importantly, I think we will."

The complete speech as prepared for delivery is below:

Mr. President, I rise today to briefly discuss a number of ongoing efforts here in the early days of the 115th Congress.

It is a strange time to be working on Capitol Hill, as strange as I've ever seen in my four decades here in the Senate. That's true for a number of reasons.

Let me give you an example.

Republicans currently control the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House and are in widespread agreement about most major policy issues. Sure, there are details that need to be worked out - both on the process and the substance - on things like tax reform, trade, and, of course, healthcare reform. But, by and large, Republicans all have the same ultimate goals for these key areas.

Yet, despite the overwhelming consensus that exists on most of these issues, there seems to be an obsession with advancing a narrative of a deeply divided Republican majority.

According to this popular narrative: House and Senate Republicans have completely different views on tax reform; Republicans in Congress oppose everything President Trump wants to do on trade; and Senate Republicans are deeply at odds on how to press forward on repealing and replacing Obamacare.

As chairman of the Senate committee that is right in the middle of all these issues, I get asked to comment on these matters literally dozens of times a day.

The questions take many forms:

Senator X says Congress should do BLANK with Obamacare, what do you think?

Can the House's tax reform plan pass in the Senate?

President Trump said BLANK today, is that going to fly on your committee?

These questions may seem pretty straightforward. However, the underlying question behind all of these lines of inquiry are: Will you publicly disagree with or criticize another Republican so we can write another story about Republican divisions?

Matters such as repealing and replacing Obamacare or reforming the tax code are certainly important topics that are rightly under intense public scrutiny. However, given that these monumental efforts are still in the early stages, the fact that there are some relatively minor differences of opinion shouldn't be all that noteworthy. And, the existence of these differences in the initial stages of the process doesn't significantly jeopardize the success of these efforts.

The purpose of the legislative process - particularly the process we use here in the Senate - is to allow differences to be aired and worked through so that, at the END of the process, consensus can be reached. Differing views on some issues at the BEGINNING of the process are to be expected, and once again, they are hardly noteworthy.

Case in point, Republicans are united in our desire to repeal and replace Obamacare.

The vast majority of us want reforms that are more patient-centered and market-driven, and, as far as I know, pretty much all of us want to return most of the authority for regulating the health care system to the states.

On some of the other questions, let me make clear what my position is, just so there's no confusion on these points.

I believe that we should REPEAL Obamacare - including the taxes - and provide for a stable transition period.

I believe that the work to REPLACE Obamacare should also begin immediately, meaning that our repeal bill should include as many Obamacare replacement policies as procedures allow. A more complete replacement can and should be crafted in the coming months as we work through some of the more complicated issues.

That has been my position since roughly March of 2010 when the final pieces of Obamacare were signed into law, and I've repeated it numerous times over the years. Moreover, I believe that most Republicans in Congress share that same view.

Do some Republicans have different views regarding the proper order and procedure for this endeavor? Sure.

But, I don't know of a single Republican who doesn't want to get rid of Obamacare.

I certainly don't know any Republicans who are fine with the status quo in our healthcare system.

That being the case, no one should be trying to parse anyone's words or split hairs in order to manufacture divisions in the Republican ranks on repealing and replacing Obamacare. I have little doubt that we CAN work through whatever differences do exist and, more importantly, I think we will.

I'm not going speculate today on the floor about what the final process or product will look like. But, I will say that, at the end of the day, only three numbers matter: 218, 51, and 1. Those are the numbers of supporters we need at each step to pass an Obamacare repeal and replacement.

At this point, given what we currently know, I strongly believe that the process I described earlier - a full repeal and a responsible transition coupled with a sizable down payment on replacement followed by a committed effort to implement additional replacement policies in the coming months - provides the best path forward to achieving those thresholds. And, like I said, most Republicans in Congress agree with me.

We can discuss other ideas, and I'm happy to engage in that discussion. But, those numbers - 218, 51, and 1 - have to be the standard by which we judge any alternatives. While I'd love to see the final product pass with even larger numbers - and even with some Democrats on board with us - those numbers give us a clear picture as to how much consensus is necessary.

Once again, I think we can get there. And, I am continually working with colleagues in both the House and Senate to make sure we do.

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