Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Republican-Manufactured Healthcare Crisis And Skyrocketing Cost Of Living

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the surging costs plaguing the American people, which will only increase thanks to the healthcare crisis caused by Donald Trump and Republicans. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Americans plagued by high costs fired a political torpedo this week at Donald Trump and Republicans.

They spoke loudly and clearly: we are fed up with the high cost of living. We are fed up with the attacks on healthcare. We are fed up with your broken promises. And the question now is: will Donald Trump and Republicans listen to the American people? Will Republicans finally work with Democrats to reopen the federal government and negotiate a fix to the ACA premium crisis? Will Donald Trump finally take a break from his lavish ballrooms to help families who can't afford the rent and can't afford healthcare?

The American people are waiting, and Democrats are ready. We want to have a negotiations. It's been long enough.

Look, if Republicans were smart, they would get the message after Tuesday that their do-nothing strategy isn't working. Even Donald Trump knows Americans hold Republicans responsible for this mess. Here is what he said: "The shutdown was a big factor." He was talking about why they lost the election. He said, "The shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans." Again, those are Donald Trump's words: "The shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans." That's what he said about the elections Tuesday. This is probably the smartest thing President Trump has said in a while.

Donald Trump is clearly feeling the pressure to bring this shutdown to an end. Well, I have good news for the president: meet with Democrats, reopen the government, fix the ACA crisis. That's the best way to put this crisis behind us.

And I will say something else about what happened on Tuesday: the single biggest worry Americans feel right now is the cost of living. If you could boil down the theme of Tuesday's elections down to one word, it was "affordability." And Republicans absolutely whiffed on that by focusing on everything but affordability. In fact, Republicans have governed all year long like drunken sailors: instead of lowering costs, they've plundered healthcare into oblivion, they've cut taxes for billionaires while kicking millions off healthcare, they've approved luxury jets for Cabinet officials, and acted as if there were zero consequences for their actions.

After spending all year long intoxicated on right-wing policies that do nothing to lower costs, Republicans shouldn't be surprised that Tuesday hit them like a bad hangover. And now that Tuesday is over, we're suddenly reading all these stories about how Donald Trump is finally going to start getting serious about messaging on affordability. One story said it's going to be a big focus for him next year. Wow. Where has this guy been? What fantasy is he living in? Are we supposed to applaud Donald Trump now that he's finally going to "focus more" on affordability? The American people want results, not messaging that brings no results and produces no progress.

Apparently, Donald Trump even said on Bret Baier's show that Republicans aren't doing a good job talk about affordability. No kidding. That would be putting it kindly after everything they did this summer to make life affordable for billionaires. So, look, if Donald Trump really wants to get serious about affordability, here's a free tip: he should work with Democrats to actually make healthcare more affordable, not just say he wants to do something vacuously. We should extend the enhanced ACA premium tax credits, which the Republicans voted against three times. If Donald Trump has any interest in keeping his promise to lower costs, he should maybe focus more on fixing healthcare than on sending billions to Argentina and trying to win the Nobel Prize.

The American people have spoken. It's time Republicans finally listen and work with Democrats to bring this shutdown and healthcare crisis to an end.

###

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet