WATCH: On Senate Floor, Kelly Calls on Republicans to Lower Arizonans’ Health Care Costs and Keep Government Open

"We're watching the same pattern repeat itself again in Washington: partisan politics and dysfunction hurting hardworking families."

Tonight, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly took to the Senate floor urging Republicans to work with Democrats to lower Arizonans' health care costs and keep the federal government open.

In his remarks, Kelly underscored that nearly 380,000 Arizonans rely on health care tax credits that help them afford their Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage. If Republicans refuse to extend these credits before they expire next month, some working families in Arizona could face monthly premium spikes of more than 55.3% for next year, and approximately 109,000 Arizonans will lose coverage completely.

Kelly warned that Arizona families could face devastating consequences if health care tax credits expire: "In Arizona, more than 379,000 people have reduced premiums through these tax credits. […] So, if those tax credits are allowed to expire, that means their health care premiums for next year go up as much as 55%. That's hundreds of dollars every single month. And that blows a huge hole in the family budget. It means canceled family trips; it means not being able to sign your kid up to a sports league. It means taking on more shifts just to cover this added cost. For a lot of folks, it means they will not be able to afford health care insurance at all. […] In the richest country in the history of the world, there is no reason why somebody who is working full time shouldn't be able to afford basic health insurance. No one should be one accident or one unexpected illness away from financial ruin. No one should be unable to take their kid to a doctor when they get sick."

He criticized Trump and Republicans for choosing brinksmanship over working with Democrats to find solutions: "But instead of working with us to lower costs and avoid a shutdown, Donald Trump has refused to even sit down and talk about it for weeks until just today-barely 24 hours before the deadline. He'd rather watch the country inch closer to a shutdown than to try to figure out solutions. And, Mr. President, it's going to be everyday Americans who pay the price."

Kelly closed by calling for urgent action to keep health care costs low and the government open: "There's still time to extend the premium tax credits and protect families from higher costs while keeping the federal government open and serving Americans. Mr. President, we can do this. We've just got to be willing to sit down and work to figure it out. I know I am."

Click here to view and download Kelly's remarks.