Sen. Johnson Offers Amendments to Make Congress Play by Its Own Rules, Strengthen Medicaid

WASHINGTON, July 27 -- The office of Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., issued the following news release:

In remarks on the Senate floor today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) spoke about the harm Obamacare's failures have caused Wisconsinites, and he outlined two amendments he is offering to end Congress' special exemption from Obamacare, and to sustain traditional Medicaid for future generations.

Excerpts of Sen. Johnson's remarks are below, and video can be found here (https://youtu.be/6yCfSOfoLWs).

On ending the Congressional Obamacare exemption

"I want to put members of Congress in the exact same position as ... thousands, maybe tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of Americans who are making too much, busting it, working 60 hours a week. Their premiums have doubled, sometimes tripled. Coverage cut in half and they can't afford it."

"The reason I'm offering this amendment - and I know it will not be popular [with members of Congress] - is because the only way Congress will have the courage to act is if they are affected every bit as much as the American public. I urge all of my colleagues to be honest, to be courageous, and make sure that they don't exempt themselves from the pain, from the harm, from the damage of Obamacare, so that they will commit themselves to actually fixing this problem."

On his Medicaid Sustainability amendment

"Without pulling the rug out from under anyone, let's end further enrollment in Medicaid expansion, and the money we save, as that program phases out through attrition, let's devote that money to traditional Medicaid, supporting and sustaining the elderly, children, and the disabled."

"Under what I call my Sustainability Amendment, traditional Medicaid would actually increase in spending slightly, not harming anybody, not children, not the disabled, not the elderly ... not pulling the rug out from under anyone. In the end you'd be spending the same amount in the Senate bill and from my standpoint I think we preserve and sustain Medicaid."