Senate To Proceed To Obamacare Repeal Debate

Congressional Documents & Publications

Monday, July 24, 2017

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'The only way we'll have the opportunity to consider ideas is if Senators are allowed to offer and debate them. That means voting to begin the open amendment process. That means voting to kick off a robust debate in which Senators from all parties can represent the views of their constituents. It means voting to proceed. And that will occur tomorrow.'

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding the Senate Republican effort to repeal Obamacare:

"Seven years ago, Democrats forced Obamacare on the American people. It was supposed to lower health costs. They skyrocketed. It was supposed to provide more health options. They plummeted. At Obamacare's launch, millions lost the health plans they liked and were promised they could keep. In the years since, Americans have continued to lose access to plans, and hospitals, and doctors they know and trust. Now, Obamacare teeters on the edge of total collapse, threatening to drag even more of the men and women we represent down with it. That should not be an acceptable outcome to any of us. It certainly is not acceptable to me.

"I made a commitment to the people I represent. I told the people of Kentucky I would vote to move beyond the failures of Obamacare. The Senate did so in 2015, but President Obama wielded his veto pen. The Senate can do so again now, and President Trump will use his pen to sign such legislation.

"The first step this time, the first vote we will soon take, is on whether or not to begin the debate at all. I believe my mandate from the people of Kentucky is to vote yes. And I certainly intend to do so. I know many colleagues feel the same. I know many of us have waited years for this moment to finally arrive. And, at long last, it finally has. I would urge every colleague to join me. I know many have ideas on how to improve health care. Some of these ideas have real potential.

"Others -- like applying temporary Band-Aids, or quadrupling down on Obamacare -- are not going to move us forward. That doesn't mean Senators shouldn't have the chance to offer those ideas. The only way we'll have the opportunity to consider ideas is if Senators are allowed to offer and debate them. That means voting to begin the open amendment process. That means voting to kick off a robust debate in which Senators from all parties can represent the views of their constituents. It means voting to proceed. And that will occur tomorrow.

"Obamacare has been a disaster from the start. The added tragedy is the utter predictability of it all. Republicans warned about higher costs and fewer choices. We warned that Americans would lose their plans. We warned that Obamacare would inevitably collapse under its own weight. Our concerns were waived away at the time. It turns out we were right to be concerned. Obamacare has hurt the people we represent.

"We've all seen the statistics -- the higher costs and reduced choices -- but this is about more than just numbers on a page. What we're talking about here are the lives of real people, constituents of ours who have struggled under this failed left-wing experiment for years.

"Through calls, and letters, and meetings, and dozens of health care forums across my state, thousands of Kentuckians have shared their Obamacare horror stories. I've seen the pain in their eyes. I've heard their struggles to make ends meet. I've come to the Senate floor time and again to relay their heartbreaking stories. I know many colleagues have done the same.

"Our constituents deserve better than the pain Obamacare has brought them. They deserve a new direction on health care. So when that vote comes, I will keep my commitment to vote to move beyond the failures of Obamacare -- I will vote yes on the motion to proceed. I would urge all of our colleagues to do the same."