REMARKS: Ahead of government shutdown, Senator Coons calls out Republicans for shutting down government to keep Americans’ health care costs high

WASHINGTON - Tonight, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) spoke on the Senate floor after two government funding bills failed, criticizing President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress for choosing to shut down the government instead of working to stop spiking health care costs for Americans. Government funding will expire at midnight tonight.

While Senator Coons bemoaned the impact caused by government shutdowns, he made clear that the current funding fight is about protecting health care for all Americans. He attacked President Trump and Republicans for failing to act to prevent health care costs from rising for every American. He also noted that the proposed Republican funding bill fails to restore funding to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - agencies that lead research to cure pediatric cancer, fight ALS, and protect public health that President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. have gutted.

"President Trump ran on making America healthy again, on reducing prices, on making life easier for the working people of our country and their families. And instead, what we've seen is decision after decision, action after action by President Trump and the Republicans in Congress that raises prices: raises prices on health care, on insurance, on drugs, on medications," said Senator Coons. "Whether it's the tariffs being imposed on prescription medications, or the decision to end subsidies that keep health insurance affordable, or it's laying off thousands of researchers working to help cure pediatric cancer or address ALS or do research into HIV-AIDS - decision after decision that moves us in the wrong direction, that makes us sicker, poorer and more divided."

Senator Coons warned that rising premiums and strained emergency rooms would hit families hard in Delaware and across the nation.

"In my home state of Delaware, emergency room wait times are too long, and as millions of Americans get thrown off of health insurance, they're going to go to the emergency room, and those wait times will get longer and longer for all of us," said Senator Coons.

He restated that Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House, and that they own this shutdown. Republicans have locked Democrats out of negotiations and tried to advance a bill that would let health care costs for all Americans rise.

"Make no mistake, we have Republicans in control of the House and Senate and the White House," said Senator Coons. "If they want to find a way forward that reduces the harm to Americans and our health care… I'll be one of the first to extend my hand to find that path. But if we don't change direction, we shouldn't reopen this government, because Americans have taken too many hits already, too much additional cost, too much cuts to health care research, too much increase to health insurance costs. This is a fight about America's health care, and we're fighting for you."

A video and transcript of Senator Coons' remarks are available below.

WATCH HERE.

Senator Coons: Madam President, I'm asking why we're here. Why we're here on the floor of the Senate, as the hours tick down to the end of the federal fiscal year and the shutdown of the federal government.

I've served here 15 years. I've seen my share of shutdowns, and I know how much they hurt-how much they hurt the men and women of our military, federal law enforcement, folks who serve and protect our country at home and abroad-and they should not have to wonder when or if they'll get paid. A shutdown isn't good for our reputation abroad and our cohesion at home.

I have always worked to find some path, some deal, some way to keep the government open, and I've talked to a dozen colleagues in recent days about this fight and about tonight.

This is about health care. This is about my party saying enough is enough. We know that if you have health care, everything else can work itself out, and if you don't have your health, almost nothing else matters.

President Trump ran on making America healthy again, on reducing prices, on making life easier for the working people of our country and their families. And instead, what we've seen is decision after decision, action after action by President Trump and the Republicans in Congress that raises prices: raises prices on health care, on insurance, on drugs, on medications.

Whether it's the tariffs being imposed on prescription medications, or the decision to end subsidies that keep health insurance affordable, or it's laying off thousands of researchers working to help cure pediatric cancer or address ALS or do research into HIV-AIDS - decision after decision that moves us in the wrong direction, that makes us sicker, poorer, and more divided.

I'm usually one of the first to walk across the aisle and say, 'Let's find a solution, let's find a way out of this.' And I've been doing that in recent days talking with colleagues, but I can't see a way forward if we can't change direction and together say to the people we serve, 'We want to help with your health care. We want to stop the cuts to NIH and CDC. We want to reduce the increases in health insurance costs. We want to help you and your family.'

In my home state of Delaware, emergency room wait times are too long, and as millions of Americans get thrown off of health insurance, they're going to go to the emergency room, and those wait times will get longer and longer for all of us. Next month, we're going to find out how much health insurance premiums go up. For some Americans, they're going to double, but for all of us, they will go up. Health care is getting costlier, and Americans are getting sicker. So why am I standing on this floor tonight saying, 'I'm not voting to keep this government open?' Because enough is enough.

There are ways we can and should work together to change direction, to put on the floor the bipartisan health appropriations bill that will restore tens of billions of dollars to the NIH and CDC, that'll stop Trump's cuts to American health care and insurance and research. There's a path towards reforming and extending the Affordable Care Act that both parties should agree on.

But folks, if you're listening, your member of Congress needs to hear from you, needs to know that you want us to work together to reverse course and end Trump's tragic cuts to health care. If my colleagues don't get those calls, they won't change direction. If they don't change direction, we won't reopen this government. Make no mistake, we have Republicans in control of the House and Senate and the White House. If they want to find a way forward that reduces the harm to Americans and our health care, we can, and I'll be one of the first to extend my hand to find that path.

But if we don't change direction, we shouldn't reopen this government, because Americans have taken too many hits already, too much additional cost, too much cuts to health care research, too much increase to health insurance costs.

This is a fight about America's health care, and we're fighting for you.