“Enough Is Enough”: Whip Clark Slams Mike Johnson For Tripling Louisianans’ Premiums

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee for a hearing on the Republicans' disastrous health care crisis and continued government shutdown. Below is a transcript of her remarks:

"Look around. Look at what the Republicans have inflicted on the American people. Cuts to Medicare. Cuts to Medicaid. Cuts to the Affordable Care Act. Cuts to children's health insurance. Cuts to medical research. All of this, all of this, to take that money and give it to the very wealthiest in the form of tax cuts.

"And then what? After they've done this, they've created this health care crisis, how do they respond to their own chaos? They shut down the government.

"And they're taking that quite literally because they're not even showing up to do their jobs. And they're saying: 'We can talk about all of this some other time. How about November? Why don't we talk about it at the end of November?'

"Speaker Johnson had a quote. He said we have 'an eternity' to deal with health care. No! We don't! That's the point!

"They are making health care more expensive for everyone. But we have a particular urgency around the ACA. Let's spell out what they did.

"They took away the tax credits that help people pay for premiums. They chose to spend that money on permanent tax credits for billionaires. Then, when they took away those away, insurance companies responded by raising premiums. And notices of those increased premiums are going out over the next days and weeks.

"Families are finding out at home in my district that their premiums are about to double. They are having to make impossible financial decisions, right now.

"And let's go to Benton, Louisiana. Right in the heart of Mike Johnson's district. A couple making $88,000 a year in Benton? Right now, they pay just under $7,500 a year for health insurance. That is not cheap.

"But now? While Mike Johnson keeps his Members on vacation, keeping the government shut down for another week, that couple is finding out that their premiums are about to triple. That their premiums will go to more than $23,000 a year.

"Nobody can afford that. That is putting insurance out of reach for Americans. And that is what is happening right now in Mike Johnson's district. And it is happening to the people he is paid to represent.

"This is hurting everyone. Cancer survivors. Small businesses. Moms and children.

"And the real kicker? 267,000 veterans will lose their insurance as these ACA premiums skyrocket.

"But instead of showing up for work, coming to the table, negotiating with us, they are now also spreading the pain to our current servicemembers who are at risk of missing their paychecks and going unpaid for serving our country. Because the Republican Party cannot even get its act together to come and do what we do in every shutdown and agree that we pay our troops.

"Mike Johnson said that's a 'show vote.' I can't imagine anything more disrespectful.

"Their response to this is that 'we're just not even going to show up, we are done negotiating, we have made our bargain and it is a billionaires first plan.'

"So here's my plea to Republicans: If you're not going to come to Washington, walk across the street, go next door, talk to your neighbors. Hear about the true anxiety they're feeling. Hear about the betrayal they feel that Donald Trump told them he was going to lower costs on Day One and has done nothing but make life harder and more expensive.

"Then get on the next flight to DC, and come and work with us. Stop these premium hikes. Get our troops paid. And get the government up and running. Enough is enough."

To watch the full hearing, click HERE. For photos of the hearing, click HERE.