Transcripts For CSPAN House Takes Up Health Care Bill As Negotiations Continue Off The Floor 20170323

Visit ncicap. Org] the peaker thhouse will b inrd. Theyer wl boffed r gutplain, pastor b mcgregor, city harvest crch, vancouver, shington. Thchaplainl w today wh thanving for the work oyour grace in establishing this gre work called americ nation opptunity, many fight to come aarof us and dese eave. Great. Ou, lord,e mades ouroung fatrsnderstood this experice a by the sipture cept the ord ild house they labd ivain bld fmn daily eep convictn al to you wisdo nation. Leadersf this gre oncagain we ask for t om to rotect al ou tizens, opptunity all, heuroor, ce r ourldly, our filies, educate ourldren, makconomy stron we pray uty in this ndea may righousnesexalt us thro all ls. This wkpectin jee discuss nam the spker chairas examined the nal of the last daysceed and anunces to e ouse hi aproval thereof. Pu to au 1f rule 1, journast appved. Fo whapurp seek recognition . Mr. Thompson pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval. Journal. The speaker the question is on agreeing to the spofrpble of the journal. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have t the journal stands approved. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker. The speaker for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order a quorum is not present. The speaker pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question are postponed. The pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from mississippi, mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly if youll face the flag. Salute. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker without objection, the gentlewoman from washington i m. Herrera buetler, is recognized for one minute. Its my great honor toint dues my pastor and dear friend as our guest chaplain this morning. Pastor bob is the lead peacor of City Harvest Church in vancouver, washington, my home church. It is a Thriving Church that greatly impacts our community by caring for the needy and supporting mission work. Pastor bob and his wife have four daughters and eight grandchildren. They have been married for 38 years. And share the burden to help build marriages and families of ministers who face the demands of ministry life. Its my great pleasure to welcome pastor bob and thank him as he has bless the us this morning with his prayer. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair will entertain up to five further requests for oneminute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from mississippi is recognized for one minute. Mr. Kelly thank you, mr. Speaker. Im humbled today to rise in memory of Army Sergeant first class Christopher Lee robinson, he paid the ultimate sacrifice while defending our nation on march 25, 2006, during Operation Enduring freedom in afghanistan. Sergeant robinson was wounded during the ambush in helmund province afghanistan while conducting joint and multinational combat operations. Master Sergeant Reese robbins, his friend, was also wounded during the attack. At the time of his death, sarge gent robinpson was the first Mississippi National Guard Soldier to die in afplgt he was assigned to the second battalion, 22nd forces group, Mississippi Army National Guard in jackson, mississippi. He followed in the footsteps of his father, george, who also served in the army. Retired Sergeant Major Mike Patterson served with Sergeant Robinson throughout most of his military career and Sergeant Major patterson said, Sergeant Robinson consistently displayed bravery by volunteering for hard deployments and dangerous missions. He also said Sergeant Robinson had the ability to handle combat in a very deliberate way yet remained compassionate for people and the unintended consequence that is war thrust upon human beings. He is survived by his wife, and their children, savannah and patrick. Sergeant robinson devoted his life to the safety of our nation. He will always be remembered for his service and deep love for friends and family in this country. The first sentence of the creed states no one is more professional than i. The level of confidence and frotionalism that Sergeant Robinson maintained throughout his life in and out of uniform shows he lived by that creed every day of his life. As a special forces green beret soldier, Sergeant First Class robinson was truly the best of the best. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. Mr. Mcnerney i rise today in support of federal investment into Brain Research. Congress commitment to fund basic brain related research and scientific discovery is critical to developing our capabilities to treat over 1,000 diseases and disorders that directly or indirectly affect 100 million americans every year. Estimates put the economic burden of these diseases at over 760 billion a year. Addiction, traumatic brain injury, alzheimers, and other afflictions can only be overcome through increasing our understanding how the brain works, basic identifiens is the Foundation Upon which all Health Advances are built. Federal agencies such as the n. I. H. , n. S. F. , and d. O. D. Are essential in advancement of broin research as well as for so many scientific endeavors. Congress enacted the 21st century cures act that provided support for a wide range of Biomedical Research efforts. I call upon my colleagues to stand with me in support of Brain Research into the new congress. I also beseech my republican colleagues to withdraw this terrible bill and work across the aisle to find a Health Care Plan that will serve all americans. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized for one minute. Mr. Thompson mr. Speaker, this week the House Agriculture Committee on nutrition hosted a hearing to exam usdas three commodity distribution programs. The emergency Food Assistance program, the commodity supplemental food program, and the Food Distribution program on indian reservations. They heard from panel of witnesses representing each of these programs to explain how the programs differ, interact, and Work Together to meet the nutrition needs of americas most vulnerable citizens. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the subcommittee i know federal new frigs programs are vital to ensuring all americans have Healthy Foods within reach whether lowincome population, elderly, or those living in areas with strained access to nutrition food. Along with snap these programs support agriculture and lessening the effects of poverty on our most vulnerable sit as we begin to work on the next farm bill, well continue to identify ways alongside state and local organizations to help provide safe nutritious food for those who need it most. I thank our witnesses for sharing their time and expertise to help strengthen these programs. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my ime. For what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . I unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from new york is recognized for one minute. Mr. Tonko our first duty here is to the American People. I rise to call on my colleagues to fulfill that duty and reject trumpcare. President trump made big promises on health care during his campaign. Trumpcare proves those promises were empty. He promised the plan that would cover everyone. Trumpcare would cover even fewer people than were covered before the Affordable Care act. He promised better coverage. Trumpcare gives basic health care guts basic health care standards. Many trumpcare plans wont be worth the paper they are printed on. He promised cheaper coverage. Trumpcare breaks that promise, driving up premiums, deductibles, and outofpocket cost force everyone. It also hits our nations seniors with a devastating age tax or perhaps a senior tax that will literally price many seniors out of the health care market. Mr. Speaker, trumpcare is a tax break for millionaires parading as a Health Care Plan. It will do unimaginable harm to our rural hospitals and our economy. The bill was written in secret. It was rushed through this chamber. And it represents a bigtime broken promise. I urge my colleagues to reject trumpcare. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from illinois is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to honor a Southern Illinois native who flew planes in Southeast Asia more than 75 years ago. This hero finally returned home this week for burial. Second lieutenant max curtis hammer jr. Died when his plane crashed in what was then burma in 1941. Hammer was part of the flying tigers. A group of volunteer pilots who helped the british and chinese defend against imperial japan. Mr. Bost his remains burned to carbondale, illinois this vehicle, via dignified transport from hawaii where he had been buried for 67 years in grave marked unknown. Max, its been a long time. With heavy heart we welcome you home to Southern Illinois. We thank you for your service. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentlelady from new york is recognized for one minute. Ms. Velazquez mr. Speaker, today House Republicans are preparing to vote to rip away health care from 24 million americans. 2. 7 million of them in new york. In my district, 122,000 people will lose coverage, including 12,700 children. Those who do retain coverage will pay more for less. With deductibles and premiums skyrocketing. This is what House Republicans plan to put on the floor today. It is a plan that benefits the healthy and the wealthy while hurting everyone else. If you have a preexisting condition and your coverage lapses under trumpcare get ready to pay more. Are you a senior . Good luck affording medical coverage if trumpcare becomes law. Youre going to pay Insurance Company five times more than younger people. Mr. Speaker, the American People see this for what it is. A direct assault on the vulnerable in order to give a tax cut to the wealthy and the healthy. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Velazquez reject trumpcare. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman from florida is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, the g. O. P. Health repeal bill rips coverage from 24 million americans. Mr. Deutch so i ask my colleagues, can you imagine what its like to gasp for air . Your chest tightening and your lungs burning from asthma . Worrying you might black out because you cannot get enough oxygen . This weekend a constituent of mine from Fort Lauderdale told me, thanks to the Affordable Care act i am finally able to breathe. The a. C. A. Dropped her asthma medicine costs from 600 per month to 10. Without the a. C. A. , she cannot afford to breathe. Can you imagine your medication within reach but you cant afford to use it . If you take your medicine when you need it, if you help yourself breathe now, you cant afford it next month. As you jog up the Capitol Steps for this vote today, as you take for granted every easy breath you take today, think about your constituents who rely their health care for their next breath. And vote no. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands seek recognition . Miss blast ket i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore thout objection, the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands is recognized for one minute. Miss last kell thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today in strong opposition to the Republican Health care bill. Gentlelady from there is concern that what would be the effects of this legislation and rightfully so. But if anyone wants to see a real life example of the detrimental impact of block granting medicaid, look no further than across the water in the u. S. Virgin islands, or any of the territories. Its a grim outlook. Because we experience it every day. Caps on medicaid have proven to be a fiscal disaster for our budget. Unlike states in the mainland where federal medicaid spending is openended, to virgin islanders we can only access federal dollars up to an annual ceiling because we were not included in the a. C. A. Mandate. The medicaid affects all of you, every individual. As a result of whats happened in the Virgin Islands, 30 of our population is uninsured and hospitals have been left to pick up the bill. If you or your child are ill, you go to the hospital whether you can take care of the bill or not. This situation places a tremendous burden on our hospitals, treating uncompensated care costs in the tens of millions of dollars. We have to make tough choices of removing people from medicaid which means lost to elderly and individuals. We ask you reject this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Mr. Sessions by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up i call up House Resolution 221 and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 25. House resolution 221. Resolved that the requirement of clause 65 of rule 13 for a 2 3 vote to consider a report from the committee on rules on the same day it is presented to the house is waived with respect to any resolution reported through the legislative day of march 27, 2017. Section 2, it shall be in order at anytime through the calendar day of march 26, 2017, for the speaker to entertain motions that the house suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule 15. The speaker or his designee shall consult with the minority leader or her designee on the designation of any matter for consideration pursuant to this section. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for one hour. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, during consideration of this resolution, all time is yielded for the purpose of debate only. And as always, i would yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, my dear friend, mr. Mcgovern, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Sessions thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, last night yesterday, the rules committee met for some 13 hours, maybe a little bit more, where we were tasked with the opportunity to bring forth from the republican conference the new bill that is to replace the Affordable Care act. That discussion involved us taking testimony from the chairman of the ways and means committee, kevin brady, the chairman of the energy and commerce committee, greg walden, and the Committee Chairman on budget, mrs. Black. It also involved three other Ranking Members for those. They assembled up in the rules committee. We had a very vigorous and open debate about the bill, about the effects of the bill and about the things which were occurring within the republican majority dealing with the United States senate, dealing with the president of the United States. All three are necessary to agree upon a bill if we are to sign it into law. There was a vigorous demand from democrats to know more information, and i believe i forth rightly attempted to answer those questions. We did not have all the pieces of the puzzle together. We recognized that by the evening hour. And so about 11 00 last night upon my consultation with the gentleman, the Ranking Member, mr. Mcgovern, i made a decision that we would not stay up during the evening. We would ask that we would come back today, so we did not actually complete our work last night. I am here today because last night the rules committee issued a rule, a rule that would be a sameday rule. The issues really dont change. The facts of the case really dont change. Information is necessary for us to make an informed decision. That is a change. I told the gentleman, mr. Mcgovern, i told the gentlewoman, former speaker, the leader of the democratic party, ms. Pelosi, nancy pelosi, mr. Hoyer. I told mr. Hoyer in a direct dialogue we had that i would do my best to make sure we answer the questions that will be necessary. The gentleman, mr. Mcgovern, who very ablely represents his ably represents his party, understood we did not have all the answers i needed so we are here today with the opportunity to tell you we are going to do a sameday rule. We are going to try and pass this rule. We are going to try and explain what were doing. We are going to allow my team, our republican conference, to get back together today because they, too, want to know what is the final deal. That is what my conference is doing right now. They are in this building, several hundred members of congress, talking, debating, nderstanding, listening, compromising. Yes. On a way that we can approach a chance to change what we see as one of the most devastating pieces of legislation to the economy, to the Health Care System and quite honestly to the standing of america as the greatest country in the world. We think we have to make changes. But today we are here right now to say, i dont have all those answers. A complete agreement was not available by the time i chose to end the matter last night in rules. And so rather than staying up all night, we are here today. We will be back here today. This is not the debate about the bill. More information is needed. An agreement is needed from my party. When we reach that agreement, i will then come back. But make no mistake about it, mr. Speaker, my party intends to bring forth an agreedto bill that we will be able to show to the American People and we will own it. Were very capable of saying that we believe that market forces, we believe that free right of individuals, we believe that free physicians and opportunities exist and abound and we will bring that to the floor and we will openly debate it. Ch is being said about a Congressional Budget Office report that has caused much fear. Unrightly . No, i cant say that. But it is certainly explainable. And mr. Speaker, ill start right now. The bottom line is that there are some 30 Million People who are uninsured in the United States of america. 30 Million People who did not find a home or chose not to take a governmentprovided available system that is called the Affordable Care act. Even more people included in that within that are paying a penalty of several thousand dollars rather than taking that Health Care System, that availability. And so we believe the right thing to do is not to force anybody, not to have mandates, not to penalize people but rather to make available to hem opportunities where its their decision about what they would do. The corresponding facts of the case are real simple. The Congressional Budget Office said, fine, if you dont force people to do it, then some 24 Million People wont do it within the next seven years. Well, there are 30 Million People today that do not have it and not take it, so to go from 30 million to 24 million will be a very interesting task for us to understand. Mr. Speaker, no freedom is free , but if we engage in telling the American People that washington, d. C. , knows better than they do, then that is a false promise. Its a false promise that our friends, the democrats, tried and actually failed at. So republicans, in order to put together their plan yes, even with the consequences of a, quote, c. B. O. Report that says there will be 24 Million People who are uninsured thats probably right because they chose not to accept what would be an equal opportunity for them to take what might be called a tax credit that equals some 8,000 for a family of four, allowing them straight up to purchase their own health care for their family. But if they choose not to do it, thats their business. Mr. Speaker, one of my attributes is i come from dallas, texas, and dallas, texas, for all the great things that we have about us we think that some of the great things comes from the way we believe. We deeply believe were in some ways a very open city. We have many different thought processes, many people, but we respect each other and dont try and tell each other what to do. And it creates a flourishing environment about ourself where when we get in trouble we stick together. Band see trouble, we together but we tend not to tell each other what to do in our own lives. And that is one thing that i think makes us a little bit different. We do not count on government to do the things that we should do for ourself. And that is part of the freedom model that i buy off on and art of what we are offering, the Republican Party, today for the American People rather than mandates, dictates, fines, the i. R. S. , and all sorts of other government organizations that we could throw in a persons to simply to tell them what do. We reject that notion and we will, as quickly as possible, bring about a bill that we can explain, that we will own, and that we will pass. Mr. Speaker, i reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern well, thank you, mr. Speaker. And i want to thank the gentleman from texas, my friend, mr. Sessions, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks and i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, we arent here to debate the Republican Health care repeal plan. We arent here to debate that because Republican Leadership and the white house are huddled behind closed doors as we speak making deals that will have very real, very serious, very dangerous consequences for millions and millions and millions of americans. Instead, were here to debate a martial law rule that will allow republicans to rush their bill with the brand new back room deals today without any proper deliberation. As a matter of fact, it would let them rush any bill to the floor today or any day through monday. Its a blanket martial law rule that lasts past the weekend, not specific to their Health Care Bill and not even specific to the topic of health care. What other bills could they be contemplating considering . We saw the buffalo bribe is already in the managers amendment, but this rule lets them bring up any other bill before the public has a chance to even know what it is. Maybe something under the russian investigation, perhaps. Ive seen a lot of news on that lately. Or maybe well give president ess friend, putin, a congressional medal. Trumps friend, putin, a congressional medal. We saw news last night that republicans were considering changes to the bill that would kill the essential Health Benefits in current law. Now, let me say that again. Essential as in absolutely necessary, extremely important, as defined by the dictionary. And sure enough, we reported out this martial law rule in the dark of night which will allow republicans to bring the new and unimproved version of the bill, again, now with even more back room deals, to the rules Committee Later today or in the dead of night and take it straight to the floor. Now, apparently theres no time to even sit have it sit for one day so that members can read it, let alone get an analysis from the nonpartisan experts at c. B. O. Are they hoping if they move quickly enough no one will figure out what theyre up to . Let melee it out for everybody. E let me lay it out for everybody. Essential requires Insurance Companies to cover basic essential benefits such as emergency services, maternity care, Mental Health care and Substance Abuse treatment, Pediatric Services and prescription drugs. Now, the New York Times pointed out this morning this latebreaking republican proposal could lead to plans that cover aromatherapy but not chemotherapy. I mean, really . Are republicans seriously making a change this massive without hearings, without a markup, no c. B. O. Estimate of the impact, no chance to read the bill . Ive seen a lot in my years here but this is truly unbelievable. You guys take my breath away. And thats not even considering the alreadydangerous bill we were supposed to be down here considering right now. Let me just make it clear what that bill actually is. First, it is a massive tax cut for millionaires and billionaires, paid for by taking Health Insurance away from 24 Million People, period. Nip who takes any time to look at this bill is true. Massive tax cuts for the well off at the expense of 24 Million People. Let me paint a picture how big that number s 24 Million People is basically the entire population of the country of australia. It is more people that live in the states of kansas, new mexico, nebraska, west virginia, idaho, hawaii, new hampshire, maine, rhode island, montana, delaware, south dakota, north dakota, alaska, vermont, wyoming, and the district of columbia combined. You know how i know this bill is a tax give away for the wealthy and not a Health Care Bill . Because according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis, this is truly incredible, it would actually result in more people being uninsured than if the Affordable Care act were simply repealed. Let that sink in for a minute. Second, their bill would cause people to pay more in terms of outofpocket expenses and in return theyll get lower quality Health Insurance. Thats right. Republicans are asking people to pay more for less coverage. In particular, lower income and Older Americans will see their costs skyrocket. Those people who can least afford to pay more. Third point, and this is a big one, the bill guts medicaid and medicare. Dont take it from me. The aarp said, and i quote, this bill would weaken medicares fiscal sustainability, dramatically increase Health Care Costs for americans age 50 to 64, and put at risk the health care of millions of children and adults with disabilities and poor seniors who depend on the Medicaid Program for Longterm Services and supports and other benefits, end quote. Thats the aarp. In fact, americans age 50 to 64 will pay premiums five times higher than what others pay for Health Coverage no matter how healthy they are. This bill is an age tax plain and simple. And republicans are cutting 880 billion from medicaid. Thats a 25 cut in funding. All this to give tax cuts to the rich and to corporations. The bill must look like a cruel joke to the most vulnerable among us. Representative mo brooks, a member of the republican conference said just the other night, i quote, quite frankly, im persuaded that this Republican Health care bill, longterm, is a detriment to the future of the United States of america. End quote. Finally even before imposing martial law last night, this process was horrendous. The republican majority rushed their bill through the Committee Process without any hearings, none, zero. Just holding marathon markups where no democratic amendments were accepted. None. Not one. They didnt even wait for c. B. O. Score. Then when the score finally came, it showed that the bill would kick 24 Million People off their insurance. Did they stop then . No, of course not. Yesterday in the rules committee, we rushed ahead with a cobbled together managers amendment. Im sorry, four cobbled together manageer amendments since the originals had errors and again no c. B. O. Score on the updated bill. Didnt my colleagues learn their lesson from last week . Even worse, the main managers amendment, which we received just 36 hours before our meeting, is so full of backroom deals, as i mentioned, like the buffalo bribe, a cynical, likely unconstitutional, agreement with wavering new york republicans who know the republican Health Care Plan would devastate new york. And now they are saying, dont worry. If you dont like this bill, its just step one of three. Youll get another chance to vote on health care during step three. Never mind that they cant give us the full slate of bills part of this mysterious step three. Or maybe i should just take republican senator cottons word for it. He said, and i quote, there is no threestep plan. That is just political talk. Its just politicians engaging in spin. End quote. Republican ted cruz from my colleagues state of texas called the third prong of this three bucket strategy, quote, i quote him, the suckers bucket, end quote. The suckers bucket. Thats your own member calling you a sucker if you vote for this. We heard testimony all day yesterday and well into the night about how disastrous this bill would be for hardworking americans. We heard about how countless major Health Organizations oppose this plan from the American Medical Association to American Hospital association to the National Rural health association, to the aarp, to the American Society of addiction medicine, to the National Alliance on mental illness, and i could go on and on and on and on. This reverse robin hood will steal from the working class and give to the wealthy. Under the republican plan, 2. 8 billion, that is billion with a b, in tax breaks will go to the 400 richest families in america each year. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle seem to be rushing this through in hopes that no one will figure out that its a tax break for the rich masquerading as a Health Care Bill. Now we find ourselves on the floor debating a martial law rule that will take this reckless process from light speed to warp speed. Let me just remind my colleagues again that were talking about peoples lives here. Im pretty sure the middle class americans who my republicans claim to be helping would be ok with delaying this reckless bill for a little while to give us a chance to find out what the impacts will be. Mr. Speaker, this process is beyond the pail. Pale. Im honestly still stunned were even here great debating a martial law rule on this legislation of this magnitude when changes to peoples basic Health Benefits are being contemplated without so much as a single hearing, let alone a c. B. O. Score. And again, we have no real clue what republicans will be bringing to the floor later today. Im just going off what i read in the news since we havent gotten any actual updates from the other side of the aisle. But this rule would allow them to bring anything to the floor today. Or tomorrow. Or saturday, or sunday. Or monday. Literally anything. Will there be a new bill . Who knows. Will it even be on health care . Beats me. What mystery changes are they contemplating that are so broad they cant even narrow their Martial Law Authority down to the topic of health care. Please, please i would ask my colleagues to slow down. Be thoughtful. This is not a game. You dont get you dont get extra points for being fast. This Health Care Repeal affects millions upon millions upon millions of americans. Dont jam a disastrous bill through the house with patched up fixes. Wait for a revised c. B. O. Score. Listen to what members of your own conference is saying. Better yet, dont do this at all. Lets go back to the drawing board. Its clear republicans never really had a plan to replace the Affordable Care act. Dont pretend you did. And then make our most vulnerable pay the consequences. This is a sad day. This is a sad day for this institution. But it is an even sadder day for the American People. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions thank you very much. You know, mr. Speaker, the chance for us to be here today means that a lot of people are going to have a lot of opinions. And i appreciate the gentleman having an opinion. He knows what were doing. So the American People. The American People are watching tv and they are seeing where republicans are huddling together and pushing this activity of health care. Debating ideas really before the American People. Really hundreds of tv shows. I have been on 15 or 20 myself where i am saying that the republican replacement repeal of obamacare is something were taking our time to discuss. We are taking our time to make sure our colleagues understand it. Were taking time to be thoughtful. Otherwise we would have just rushed it through. In fact, we took some 13 hours last night, yesterday, at the rules committee to do exactly that. Ms. Pelosi spent three hours before the rules committee. Essentially talking about things that we see things differently. She thinks she sees things differently than we do. Thats ok. Gave her a chance to have a debate opportunity. This is what this is all about. Does not bother me at all. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to evise and extend their remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Sessions this will be done because we want members to also have a chance to have their thoughts and ideas on the record. To take their time to be thoughtful about what were doing. And it does matter. Mr. Speaker, at this time id like to yield for five minutes the gentleman from collinsville, ill now, the gentleman who i came to congress with in the 105th congress, the gentleman from the 15th district of illinois, gentleman who served our country as a veteran, west point, he was a west point graduate, and hes a really good guy. The gentleman, mr. Shimkus. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Shimkus i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Shimkus thank you, mr. Speaker. This is an important day. And i have great friends on the other side of the aisle. We debate aggressively. In fact i see one of my colleagues from california. We spent 27 1 2 hours dealing with our committee of jurisdictions markup of the bill. Its been a long time since obamacare was passed, seven years. And those of us on our side said, well, we didnt keep the Insurance Plan we said we were able to keep. We didnt get to keep the doctor that we promised we could have. We didnt save the 2,500 a month that was promised would be the savings if we passed obamacare. So i would argue, we have been very patient. Seven years. And i think the publics been very patient. Nd the public has judged obamacare through a couple election cycles and has claimed failure. So were on as we call a rescue mission because right now 25 increase in premiums on average across the country. 1 3 of u. S. Counties have only one insurer. 4. 7 million americans were kicked off their health plan. 1 trillion in new taxes. Out of the 23 obamacare coops, i love coops, im from Rural America, we believe in coops, they are not for profits. Out of the 23 obamacare coops, 18 failed. It shows you its not working. 53 billion in new regulation 176 million hours of paperwork. So what did we do . It republicans believe in transparency, we believe in markets, we believe in competition. We believe in what were calling cooperative federalism. Returning power to the states. Were seeing that in part of the medicaid proposals. Allowing the engines of our country that states, some have been very, very successful in reforming the Medicaid Programs, providing first hour coverage. And some have not. Hopefully theyll learn from the other states. We also want to empower the individuals in the individual markets. One size fits all, mandatory you have to have one of only four plans has destroyed the individual market. So seven years is too long to wait. I appreciate us moving aggressively. Time is of the essence. Were on a rescue mission. Nd this is just another path in the process of repealing and replacing obamacare. And with that i thank my colleague. I thank the speaker. I yield back my ty. Time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i have a lot of respect for my colleague from illinois, but let me just say to him that the republican plan is not a rescue mission. Its a fullfledged attack on the middle class a rescue plan for the rich, maybe. Slamming the middle class with a tax hike. Ripping away coverage and undermining medicare is not a rescue mission. I have seen the town halls around the country. They want nothing to do with your rescue plan. Rescuing something you sabotaged, offering americans a plan that costs more and covers less. Going after essential services. Please, that is not what the American People want. To my colleague from texas, the distinguished chairman of the rules committee, hes assuring us that republicans are huddled somewhere. Well, i got news for him. I have been treed reiding press reports the republicans have canceled their 9 00 a. M. Conference meeting. And as i understand t. One republican member told a reporter that that move, quote, tells me its panic time, end quote. Another republican source is quoted as saying, this is such a disaster. Representative massey said, frankly, its not very well thought out. So i dont think people are huddling. I think people are disbursed. So it makes me more worried about what were going to see later today. By the way, all we are saying all were asking is that we actually see the bill. The bill will not be the bill we will consider later today or tomorrow or saturday or sunday or monday. I mean, were talking about health care that affects millions and millions of people and nobody in this chamber has seen what were going to vote on. This is ludicrous. How can this be . What are you thinking . Do this right. Theres no rush. You dont compet points for being fast. And you know what you dont get extra points for being fast. And you know what we talk about, going after essential services that basically help the most vulnerableness in this country, Services Like Mental Health treatment, treatments for oip united addiction, ma opioid addiction, maternity care, i mean, essential services are being taken away. What will happen theyll say, yeah, well sell you insurance, it will be cheap but youll get no coverage. Nothing is covered. Thats not what the American People want. Mr. Speaker, id like to yield one minute to the gentlewoman from new york, the distinguished Ranking Member on appropriations, mrs. Lowey. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mrs. Lowey thank you, mr. Chairman, mr. Ranking member. Today, House Republicans and President Trump will try to keep a political promise to repeal the Affordable Care act despite the plainly obvious and harmful impact this bill would have on hardworking americans. Its really sad that after seven years my friends on the other side of the aisle still dont have a bill that they are publicizing, that we can read, that we can carefully analyze. Its sad that we cant Work Together on this. This republican bill would raise premiums while increasing outofpocket costs, forcing americans to pay more for less coverage, attack womens health, threaten retirement savings, force those over age 50 to pay thousands more because of the age tax and cause 14 million americans to lose Health Insurance next year. In my district alone, mr. Speaker, 76,600 another 30 seconds. Mr. Mcgovern i yield 30 seconds. Mrs. Lowey 76,600 would lose coverage, including more than 5,000 children and nearly 18,000 adults with employersponsored coverage. This is not health reform. Its a political game. Lives are at stake. I hope we vote no on this bill. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, thank you very much. Im delighted that the distinguished gentlewoman from new york came down. She, unlike many of those in her party, are intensely interested in making sure that the American People are going to get the opportunity to have something that i have always said equal to or better than. And the bottom line is that families on obamacare or the Affordable Care act, today, that include almost every Single Member of congress, including myself and my family, and the bottom line is we did would what we were told happen. Much of, quote, the Affordable Care act, was not even decided and developed until after the bill was put together. We knew that ahead of time. They told us its going to take a couple of years for us to put this together, but right now here today only 24 out of 100 physicians across this country even accept obamacare. The republican plan is not simple, but its easy to understand and that is this, that we allow people, every single person, to stay on obamacare 2017, 2018 and 2019. That is undeniably in the bill and they know that. Are allowing every single american that does not today receive the tax benefit, the benefit that goes back to world war ii, an untaxed benefit by employers. Were allowing every single American Family to be able to receive a tax credit. You cannot use both. You cannot double dip into another system, but were allowing every single one of those families that today was completely excluded or chose not to take obamacare to receive a tax credit. That tax credit for families is important because today theyre paying aftertax dollars if they choose to get health care. And tomorrow, what we will do s provide up to allow up to 8,000 for a family of four. A 000 for a tax credit for family affected in november of a year to be able to before they purchase their health care in january to designate the first 8,000 to the Health Care Plan of their choice. Well, that obviously doesnt fly well either. Because the democrats want to tell people what they have to have. Most families dont need many things that are covered. Why should they pay for that . Oh, because the democrat party, washington, d. C. , says you have to. These essential items. No, no, no. A family will be able to make their own decisions and not pay for what they dont need. So mr. Speaker, there always are at least two sides of the story. And it is true, it is true that what the Republican Party is going to do is to allow people to make their own choice but to give them the tools necessary. And if a family decides to do that, then they can. They decide not to, they dont have to. Just like whats happening today where people are required to get health care but 30 Million People are uninsured. Figure that one out, mr. Speaker. I reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern yeah, mr. Speaker, the gentleman from texas says the republican bill is simple, easy to understand. My question is, where the hell is it . Maybe its under the table. Every time we get the bill it changes. Maybe you start giving us the bill so people would know what the bill will do. Mr. Speaker, i want to point out to my colleagues, a new analysis from the Tax Policy Center and the urban Institutes Health policy center shows just how dramatically he these tax cut benefits how much these tax cuts benefit the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and working class families. This bill really is a giveaway to the rich. This chart clearly illustrates that disparity. The rich would benefit greatly from the tax cuts in the bill with a family making more than 200,000 receiving a 5,680 tax cut. And a family making more than 1 million a year getting a 51,410 break on their taxes. Thats too high to even fit on the chart. And meanwhile, families making less than 50,000 will be paying the price. This bill really is a massive giveaway to the welloff and to the wealthy. This is going to hurt the middle class. This is not what the American People want. Mr. Speaker, i yield 1 1 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from california, ms. Eshoo. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized for 90 seconds. Ms. Eshoo thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank my good friend from massachusetts for yielding time to me. I never thought in coming to congress that i would be voting on legislation that would take 24 Health Insurance from million americans, including my own constituents. The speaker said that this legislation is an act of mercy. I think its merciless. Every human being has a spark of divinity in them, and we dishonor that with this legislation. It is not worthy of the American People. There is less coverage, higher costs, eliminating essential services, not only for what people need daytoday but for the unexpected. Thats what insurance is all about. Theres a crushing age tax for people between the ages of 50 and 64. Whats happened to the g. O. P. . Is it now get older people . This does not deserve one vote in the house of representatives. Its shameful and its immoral. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions thank you very much, mr. Speaker. You know, mr. Speaker, we have at least two different sides up here. People are entitled to believe whatever they want to believe and im entitled to the same opinion of myself also. But its also a set of answers and facts that need to be given evidently and that is, in fact we do make changes in the bill to obamacare. We do. You see, mr. Speaker, the law the way it was written we have virtually few 30yearolds and bove to 45 that actually pay for obamacare. The people we were told who needed it the most, and the reason why is because it was dictated from washington how to rate the coverage. Nd in rating that coverage, it became so unlogically expensive for a young person to pay an astronomical amount for their insurance and then in many times higher value for their deductible to where 30yearold, 35yearolds, 36yearolds, 37yearolds chose not to take the policy offered. Heres what republicans do. They allow the states the flexibility to determine that hat might be called the rating and it is true, it is true that now people will be rated based upon their own actuarial experience of where they are in life, their age. And mr. Speaker, it is true that a 25yearold, 30yearold, 35yearold needs ss necessarily intricate and Expensive Health care and its actuarially true that the older we get i celebrated my birthday yesterday. I get it, i am getting older and i am probably a little bit more expensive at the doctor in things that i need, especially into my future. So what we did is we said, where you have that rating system, we will allow more money through the tax credit ystem to adjust that so that a 50yearold to 64yearold will not be at a disadvantage because those, too, are the people we want in the Health Care Plan. So were actually going to add by making it actuarially sound and attractive to give a whole bunch of young people, younger people and we are going to recognize this balance and were going to provide more of an incentive to balance out for those who are older. That makes sense. It is also realitybased, mr. Speaker, but to say that someone is going to be paying more without us recognizing that and doing something about it would not be a fair argument. I reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Hanna. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman will suspend briefly. The chair will receive a message. The messenger mr. Speaker, a message from the senate. The secretary mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore madam secretary. The secretary i have been directed by the house to inform the house that the senate has agreed to h. J. Res. 83, disapproving the rules submitted by the department of labor le relating to clarification of employers continuing obligation to make and maintain an accurate record of each recordable injury and illness. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. Mr. Khanna thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, mr. Mcgovern, for your leadership and yielding. When the president campaigned, he said he wanted more benefits, more coverage and lower premiums. Since he got to the white house, he said, well, health care is complicated and they have tried to create a bill with the republicans cobbling every special Interest Group and every faction. But the president knows it doesnt have to be complicated. He knows the solution. In 2000 he wrote that the canadian plan, singlepayer plan, helps canadians live longer and healthier than americans. There are fewer medical lawsuits, less loss of labor to sickness and lower cost to companies for paying for medical care for their employees. He wrote further, that we as a nation need to reexamine the singlepayer plan, and he advocated for a singlepayer plan. Mr. President , what has changed . You know what the solution is. If youre serious about health care, work with folks like senator sanders, congressman welch and others and offer a real solution to the American People. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute to the gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from rhode island is recognized for one minute. Mr. Cicilline thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. We have heard this legislation described as a rescue mission, an act of mercy. Dont insult the intelligence of the American People. This bill is the cruelest and most immoral piece of legislation i have seen since i arrived in congress. It will rip insurance from 24 million hard working americans, it will put 600 billion tax breaks into the hands of the powerful wealthy special interests. This is not a Health Care Bill. This is a tax cut bill. Lets call it what it is. Its going to produce higher costs, higher premiums, more outofpocket expenses. It imposes a crushing age tax on Older Americans. It ransacks funds that seniors rely on for longterm care. And will destroy nearly two million jobs. All of this harm to the American People to settle a political score and to reward your friends and wealthy special interest. Shame on President Trump and shame on the Republican Party for doing this to the American People. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, thank you very much. What a shame the gentleman was not here to vote for the Affordable Care act when it took hold several years ago and would he have known it is a bad deal. Mr. Speaker, even the American People cannot be fooled. The American People saw obamacare, the Affordable Care act, waste billions of dollars simply to try and put together a computer system. Mr. Speaker, the American People understand it was a tax bill. It is about using the i. R. S. D they were going to add 17,000 employees literally to beat the brains out of the American People. To force them into having health care from washington. Mr. Speaker, no wonder republicans won the majority several years ago. No wonder republicans have saved the American People not only from the i. R. S. But the massive taxes that were embedded within this huge government takeover of our Health Care System. And the bottom line is, my colleagues have not yet met a tax they wouldnt be for. They have not yet built and grown these massive government organizations to the tune that they want to force the American People to do things. And they are having a difficult time understanding today why the American People, if given a choice and an opportunity and advantage that would be fair for all americans to have a tax credit, why that is something that people really want to see. Mr. Speaker, mr. Trump may or every have contemplated single part of the health care issue. But ill tell you what he did understand. And that is draining the swamp single part from a system that takes away your freedom, saps the Economic Growth and vitality of this country, and one that empowers the Internal Revenue service is a bad idea. Mr. Speaker, having to qualify by going through thers toirs look at your records first to determine whether you qualify for a subsidy should be an embarrassment, and it was seen that way by the American People. To guess how much money and work you would have during the year and then if youre wrong, pay up. Mr. Speaker, it was a system that did not work because many, many, many physicians across this country and many hospitals simply do not take obamacare. They are acting like it was a gift from god. Mr. Speaker, it did not work. It does not work. And the Republican Party is going to find a way and were going to get our act together and were going to gleefully go and do the right thing. Its a process, mr. Speaker. Its a long process. It actually does take the house, the senate, and the president and were going to get our job done. I reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentleman from massachusetts. Let me remind the gentleman he has 10 minutes remaining in this debate. The gentleman from texas has three. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Mcgovern let me say file bad for the gentleman from texas for having to defend this lousy rule and lousy bill all by himself. We have so many speakers here, we dont have enough time to accommodate them all. I would like yield one minute to the gentleman from california, mr. Mcnerney. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for one minute. Mr. Mcnerney i thank the gentleman from massachusetts and i want to say, mr. Speaker, since the a. C. A. Was enacted, californias uninsured rate has dropped by 54 . Over 263,000 people have gained coverage in the three counties in my district. Now my republican colleagues want us to pass a replacement bill that will strip away health care from 24 Million People. Americans. Trumpcare guts Medicare Program and creates a new prebroken system that rations health care for more than 76 million americans. In my district alone, more than 64,000 people will lose coverage because of the provisions of the republican replacement bill. It will take money away from our hospitals, eliminate 4,000 jobs in San Joaquin County alone. Working and middle class families who will be forced to pay more for less. This will increase Health Care Costs and decrease the quality of coverage available. Americans deserve access to Quality Health Care Coverage and health care that they can afford. I ask my republican colleagues to withdraw this terrible bill and work across the aisle for once to improve the a. C. A. That benefits all americans. I strongly oppose this bill and urge my colleagues to vote no. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, reserve my time. The speaker pro tempore reserves his time. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute to the gentleman from maryland, mr. Raskin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland is recognized for one minute. Mr. Raskin mr. Mcgovern, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, were here to discuss the rule for voting on trumpcare or ryancare or whatever. They are calling it today based on whoever is willing to put their name to t but we learn upon arrival the rules are, there are no rules. Its lord of the flies day here in the house of representatives. They want to make us vote on a bill that no ones even read. No one can find it. Anything goes. The whole process has been a disaster. A debacle. A mockery of democracy. No hearings. No witnesses. No experts. No process. No deliberation. And now no bill even, but the American People are saying no way. The polls show people are turning dramatically against that wreck of legislation that is missing in washington today. Yesterday we heard about the buffalo bribe. The hudson hustle. The kinder hook kick back. Every manner to try to round up votes from members who know their political careers are in danger for going anywhere near this bill. What do they propose to do . What we know is they want to kick 24 million americans off their health care. Destroy planned parenthood. And transfer 600 billion up the wealth ladder in the United States. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. Mr. Raskin thank you very much. This legislation, however it turns out today, will crash the system. Which is what they are chive strategist, steve bannon, has said he wants to do. If a foreign power like the russians proposed to do this to america, we would consider it an act of aggression and war against the American People. This bill is not a rescue mission as they say. It is a wrecking ball and we should put it to bed once and for all today. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute, mr. Speaker, to the gentleman from vermont, mr. Welch. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from vermont is recognized for one minute. Mr. Welch mr. Speaker, my friends on the republican side, youve got the perfect bill. It cuts taxes 800 billion. Largely at the high end. It cuts 24 Million People off of health care. And tends the medicaid entitlement. Whats the problem and it ends the medicaid entitlement. Whats the problem . Bring the bill up here. What you have is not a Health Care Bill. You have a tax cut bill masquerading as a Health Care Bill. In your hesitation is the Collateral Damage that youre going to do to the people who voted for you will become clear. To the hospitals in Rural America, we need, that damage will become clear. To the the folks 50 to 64 who are going to get hammered, hammered at a point in their life when more than ever they need health care, are you going to stick it to them. The people who supported you, the people who believed in you, are the people you are turning your back on. I say bring your bill up here. Vote it. Take ownership of what it is you are doing. I welcome your courage in telling Rural America that they dont matter. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Members are also advised to direct your remarks to the chair. To the chair. Thank you. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern spree, i yield one minute to the the gentlewoman from florida, ms. Castor. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from florida is recognized for one minute. Ms. Castor i thank the gentleman. Im compelled to come to the floor this morning to urge my republican colleagues to stop hiding the trumpcare bill. The American People and their representatives deserve to know what is in the bill. But heres what we know so far. It rips coverage away from millions of our neighbors back home. It is a massive cost increase for peoples insurance, whether you have it through Health Care Dot gov or private employer. It imposes a significant age tax on our older neighbors back home. It cuts medicare. Shortens the life of the Medicare Trust fund. It breaks the fundamental guarantee we have with our neighbors back home who are alzheimers patients, children with complex conditions. The disabled under medicaid. All to give a massive tax break to the wealthiest, wealthiest folks in america. That is a failure in vision. Its a failure in value. And this bill should be hidden forever. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. Maloney. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york is recognized for one minute. Mr. Speaker, this merciless bill ironically called a Health Care Bill would be disastrous for this countrys health and especially harmful to my people of the home state of new york t will not expand health care sess to health care as promised expand access to health care as promised. It will rip away insurance from 24 Million People. Including 2. 7 million in new york sitty. People who already have health care. And it will not make premiums more affordable as promised. It will, instead, raise premiums across this nation. Premiums in new york would go up an estimated 1,000 next year alone. And it cuts all federal funding for a year for planned parenthood clinics, which serves women in need across this country. And to make an already bad bill even worse, this bill cuts nearly 5 billion in funding for new yorks hospitals that serve some of our most vulnerable people. Voting for this bill is voting to cause sure and certain harm to millions of americans. I urge a no vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, i yield one minute to the gentleman from texas, mr. Doggett. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas is recognized for one minute. A bill so bad it was kept under lock and key, hidden from democrats and republicans who would not pledge allegiance to it. A bill that was so destructive that no witness would come to defend or explain it in all Night Committee sessions. A bill jammed through this house logically you would expect this special rule to jam it through today. What is at stake here . Its not only the crumbling and destruction of health care, but it is a crumbling of our democratcy. Our republican colleagues need to remember this is washington. Not moscow. This is the congress. Not the duma. We deserve a fair consideration of this bill. Open to discussion because of its impact on millions of americans who will lose their access to a family physician. These heavyhanded tactics reflect the fear of the American Public getting an opportunity to look thoroughly at this bill and understand what it does to each family affected. I urge rejection of the rule. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Chair reminds both sides the majority side has three minutes remaining. The Minority Side 3 1 2. Mr. Mcgovern i yield one minute to the gentleman from georgia, mr. Johnson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized for one minute. Mr. Johnson mr. Johnson thank you, mr. Speaker. Today the republicans are doing something that goes against what was promised in the campaign and that was that everyone would have insurance, the insurance would be better and it would cost less. But instead, were going in the opposite direction. Less people are going to have insurance. 24 million being kicked off. Its going to cost more for the insurance, and youre going to get less Insurance Coverage for what youre paying for. Its a total disaster what theyre trying to do here, and today theyre going to meet with the Freedom Caucus at 11 30 i understand, at the white house, and the bill is going to get worse. Can you imagine that . If you got food fooled the first time dont get fooled again. If someone tells you something thats not true or what you thought was true and you found out its not true, dont fall for it again, ladies and gentlemen. Its time for change in america. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas continues to reserve. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern can i inquire from the gentleman from texas how many more speakers he has on his side . Mr. Sessions i appreciate the gentleman for asking. We have no additional speakers except myself who will close for the Republican Party. Mr. Mcgovern thank you. Mr. Speaker, i want to ask unanimous consent to enter into the record the article from todays New York Times entitled late g. O. P. Proposal could mean plans that cover aromatherapy but not chemotherapy. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Mcgovern mr. Speaker, id be delighted if we had actual text to look at right now, but instead were forced to rely on news reports and what im reading in the news is not good. This article that i just inserted in the record also quotes a harvard professor who says, think of this as a if you have Rheumatoid Arthritis you should pay 30,000 provision. The article says we can go back to the world where insurers can tell the mother of a mentally ill child she couldnt buy insurance. Its ironic that the republicans want to take away a womans choice about her pregnancy and then it looks like they are going to take away any insurance she needs for prenatal care or maternity care. What are we doing here, mr. Speaker . What will we be asked to vote on later today . If these sort of dangerous ideas are being considered, we and the American People deserve to know. 24 million americans are going to lose their insurance under the proposal that the republicans are considering. People will pay more and get less. There will be huge tax cuts for the rich, and we dont even again, we dont even have the final text. This is awful. This is unacceptable. I will remind my colleagues that this is about the American People. Put the people of this country ahead of your party, ahead of your ideology and ahead of this president who just discovered that health care is complicated. This is a life or death issue for many in this country. Health care is very, very personal. Dont take it away from people. Lets work in a bipartisan way to make the improvements in the Affordable Care act that we all know need to be made, but dont just tear apart a Health Care System thats providing an additional 20 million americans Health Insurance. Please dont do this. Slow down. Provide us the text of the bill. Lets have hearings. Lets bring the American People into the congress and listen to what they have to say. Listen to your own constituent what is they have been saying to you in town halls. They dont want what youre selling here today. They dont want your rescue plan. They Want Health Care for them and their families and thats what they deserve. Please, vote down this martial law rule and go back to the drawing board. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back his time. The gentleman from texas with three minutes to close. Mr. Sessions mr. Speaker, thank you very much. Seven years ago, mr. Speaker, this town was abuzz with this new Health Care Plan, the Affordable Care act, that was signed by the president of the United States. We were promised enormous opportunity to make health care better. Mr. Speaker, fortunately the American People had a chance to make a decision, and the American People, after watching and seeing not only people incapable of putting databases together, incapable of understanding marketplaces, capable of understanding the limits of the American Peoples really need to understand and to have a better Health Care System gave up on obamacare, the Affordable Care act. They gave up on it because after seven long years they understood it simply didnt equal what they were sold. The Republican Party is selling what we believe in, and this is sell. Inning of that its a beginning and understanding for most members of this body and the American People to understand you can keep your own doctor, you can keep your own Health Care Plan, but you, too, can make your own decisions. You can become a consumer. Oh, my gosh. Somebody from washington isnt going to tell us exactly what to do. Lets scare everybody, lets make them think that the American People cant make their own decisions without the i. R. S. Or washington telling them what to do. I understand there are some frustrations. I get that. I could be frustrated. Im not. It is true, last week i held a town hall meeting in dallas, texas. It is true a bunch of people yelled and screamed at me. They simply wanted to know yes or no. Yes or no. Mr. Speaker, policy is not like that in our country. The Republican Party does owe people thoughts and ideas and plans, and we will have the bill, and when we do it, we will own it and well be proud of it. Mr. Speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this rule. I yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Mcgovern i ask for the yeas and nays, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. The chair lays before the house n enrolled bill. The clerk h. R. 1228, an act to provide for the apointment of members of the board of directors of the office of compliance to replace members whose terms expire during 2017 nd for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess subject to the call of the chair