Express my hope and i think the hope of every member of the chamber that the senior senator from arizona, my good friend, O John Mccain has a full and speedy recovery from his recent surgery. An there is no one who has done more to serve his country in this chamber than john mccain. There is no one who is more passionate in his defense of our soldiers and our defense than john mccain. He is just an outstanding man and a very, very good friend. I admire him very much treasure his friendship and wish him the best. Godspeed to senator mccain and his family. Now, it seems like because of senator mccains recent illness that itll be at least another week until the republican majority forces a vote on the republican from care bill. I suggest to my good friend, the republican leader, that use this time to hold public hearings on the bill. My republican friends propose to pass legislation that would reorganize 16 of our economy, touch the lives of every american without a single hearing. Not one hearing even though we been on the bill for seven months now. Frien no opportunity to hear from experts in a public setting, let alone consider amendments. Ra so, i say to my friend senator mcconnell, lets use this extra week or extra weeks to do what republicans should have done a long time ago, hold public hearings and allow the stakeholders to come in and express their concerns. Today we democrats send the leader a letter to make this request formally and we will include a list of nonpartisan stakeholders we believe should have a chance to air their views on the Senate Republican health care bill. Groups known for their followings and the good they do, known for not being political at all like the american cancer society, American Lung association, American Hospital association, the largest trade group for insurers to name a f few, lets have these groups testify on the policies in this bill so the American People can have a chance to hear whatbi experts and Patient Advocates say. I say to my friend, the leader, when you dont have hearings and when you try to hide a bill it usually results in port legislation. Thats whats happening now. Its still done behind closed doors with a handful of senators even public and senators to know they are putting together. It doesnt work. The wisdom of the Founding Fathers, the windowed wisdom of this body is have a discussion, have a debate in the crucible of legislative process will make it better. So, the suggestion we are making, obviously, we oppose many parts of the bill,m obviously, so do the American People but maybe something thato can be said at a hearing would change things around. Now, additionally we asked the majority leader to wait for a complete score from the Congressional Budget Office before proceeding is built. The republicans now have their own week or more to get it scored by the cbo and have no excuse without knowing its cost or consequence now that they are plenty of time to get that done, we democrats hope they will be n full cbo score before a vote on the motion to proceed. We make these requests respectfully and let me just say one more thing about cbo. The white house has had an awful tendency, when they dont like a fact, they call it fake or they try to discredit the fact giveru but weve never seen a presidency like this. I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, dont let this infection spread to you. Cbo is a Nonpartisan Organization the head of cbo is appointed by the Republican Leaders of the house and senate. To discredit cbo simply because you dont like the answer they give, not the american way. The american way is to debate the facts, not deny them or call them fake because you dont like him. Sn unfortunately, our president has made his presidency is the, hallmark of his presence. Anything he doesnt like his fake, even though it is real, the fund gets an email to get statement and he says that his fake, what was said was fake. Lets not spread to the body. Cbo is a respected organization, as i said, with leaders appointed by republicans, not by us. Lets hear what they have to say and lets take it seriously. On. Even if we dont agree with the outcome of where their fax lead. Mr. President , id like to make additional points on one of the more controversial parts of the republican from kerrville. The cruise amendment. The cruise amendment by allowing insurers to sell junk insurance would increase outofpocket costs on an average american. Premiums might come down for some plants because insurers c would have to cover very much. The reduction in premiums wouldo be more than offset by skyrocketing deductibles and copays. The average american would be paid more not less than the average american would likely get junk insurance. My friend senator from delaware, but it best. He said we will sell you a car and itll be cheaper but it will have no bumper, no Steering Wheel and no carburetor. Itll be cheaper but it wont serve its purpose, it wont get you where you need to go. The cruz amendment to say no hospitalization, no payment for drugs, what good are they . Its the talking point. It doesnt help people, it hurts them. The cruz amendment would also make insurance unaffordable for americans who need it most. It creates what even the most conservative action forum would say would be a death spiral inor the marketplace. Again, my senior senator friend from iowa that the cruz amendment would quote annihilate the preexisting condition requirement unquote. Son. Thats not chuck schumer, thats not bill nelson, that is chuck f grassley one of the most senior republican senators from the great state of iowa who says that. It is not fake. Its real what he said. You cant wash it away. And the cruz amendment winds back the clock in america to the days of the worst practices of insurance companies. It seems the race of the cruz amendment would let it of these do whatever they want. In the 1890s that philosophy may have governed an american learned on republican and democrat alike but that doesntw protect, to allow insurers to sell policies without the ban on. The exclusions without covering essential Health Benefits and without lifetime limits on outofpocket costs, it would p even a light insurers to sell policies that include excessive waiting. The more than 90 days. If your kid has cancer, policy,p in its final print, could say you have to wait 90 days and you watch your child suffer. What kind of freedom is that Market Freedom for the Insurance Company but it isnt insurance for the freedom for the childbot suffering. My good friend from texas cares about freedom for very wealthy people for millionaires but what about average people. D you need freedom to be able to pay and have your insurancer. Company pay when your kid has cancer and you need to be free of that. That they cant pay, or they wont pay or you to wait 90 days. The cruz amendment flexes those restrictions. Remember, the cruz amendment was added to a bill that slashes medicaid in a way that would shatter protections for americans in nursing homes, those struggling with opioid addiction and americans in rural parts of the country. The cruz amendment is a cool insult adding to a devastating n injury. We have another week or more before the senate will vote on this bill. The public and leader to spend time trying to find new or evermore cynical ways to buy off necessary votes, to bailouts and giveaways to certain states or he can do what he has promised to do repeatedly as majority leader, return this body to regular order, go through the committee process, have robust amendment process and i say the resulting product would be a lot better than the one we have before us. I daresay thats why the Founding Fathers set up a congress, not to have a few people get in a room and rushed through an amendment that affects a bill that affects a huge percentage of the american economy. Back ambassador to the holy see. She is the wife of former House Speaker new egrets. They will consider her nomination tomorrow along with the nominee to the state Department Counterterrorism correlator. Both companies will testify to live coverage beginning at 10 0n three. Tonight on the communicators,. Privatesector ceos recognize that your it group is not just a cost center but its an entity that will drive innovation and an entity that can help improve your bottom line. We need the federal government to start thinking that way. Determine on the Health Information subcommittee congressman will hurt it talks about his bill to upgrade technology in federal agencies. His opinion of us cyber defenses and his proposal for a Cyber National guard. Representative heard his interview by political Cyber Security reporter, tim starts. The idea is that if you are in high school and you want to go to college and study something around Cyber Security, will find you a scholarship to go to college. When you graduate you have to come work in the federal government. Not nsa or dod but at the department of interior or at the Census Bureau or at social security. Youll do that for the same amount of time that you got scholarship for and when you finish that time in federal service and you go work in the private sector the private sector will loan you back to the government for the proverbial one week in a month or less late 20s a quarter where this will improve the cross colonization ideas between the public and private sector. Watch the communicators tonight at eight eastern on cspan2. Spans washington journal, live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. Coming up tuesday morning, a look at the 2018 federal budget beginning with pennsylvania democrat congressman brendan boyle, a member of the house budget committee. Its followed by republican Public Budget Committee texas harrington. Sam, author, on his book dream and the true tale of the opioid epidemic. Be sure to watch these spans washington journal live at 7 00 a. M. Eastern. Join the discussion. Now, a conversation on the trump administrations approach to Border Security with brandon jud. Hes president of the National Border in the labor union that represents Border Patrol agents our next guest, brandon jud, president of the National BorderPatrol Council and officers of the Border Patrol agents. A few moments about the council, what is it who supported. It is the union for the agents, what we do is we are elected officials amongst our agents and we protect the rights of thege