Graham Responds to Calls to Extend Obamacare Subsidies in Senate Floor Speech

[00:00:00] Like a lot of people, uh, I've been [00:00:02] hoping we could find a way forward and [00:00:05] sort of stop the disruption and madness [00:00:07] it's causing throughout the country. And [00:00:10] I want to say, uh, to my colleagues who [00:00:12] have been working together to find a [00:00:15] solution to open up the government, I [00:00:17] really appreciate your efforts very, [00:00:19] very much. I know this polarized [00:00:22] environment is hard to reach across the [00:00:23] aisle, but [clears throat] this moment [00:00:25] dictates that we try. and I've had some [00:00:29] discussions and I know a lot of my [00:00:31] colleagues have Senator Britt and [00:00:33] Collins and many others have spent a lot [00:00:35] of time uh Mark Wayne Mullen trying to [00:00:38] find common ground to open up the [00:00:41] government so we can move forward and [00:00:44] have a debate about healthc care and [00:00:45] maybe find a solution. Uh apparently to [00:00:48] no avail. Um there's a group of my [00:00:51] Democratic colleagues who believe [00:00:54] every day gets better for us. Senator [00:00:58] Schumer. Um, they I guess apparently [00:01:01] feel emboldened by the election. The [00:01:04] question I have for the country is every [00:01:06] day getting better for you. If you're [00:01:09] trying to get to an airport or fly [00:01:12] somewhere, I would say not so much. [00:01:15] If [clears throat] you're a government [00:01:16] employee working, not getting paid, not [00:01:19] so much. There are a lot of services [00:01:21] that are being disrupted out there [00:01:24] because the government shut down. And [00:01:27] truth of the matter is both parties have [00:01:29] had government shutdowns trying to get a [00:01:31] policy win. You know, one time we shut [00:01:34] the government down as Republicans to [00:01:37] get money to build the wall. We [00:01:39] eventually got money to build the wall [00:01:40] because it was a very good idea. Uh but [00:01:43] it didn't happen through the shutdown. [00:01:45] And so I learned that shutting the [00:01:47] government down to try to get a policy [00:01:49] win is probably not good government. And [00:01:52] our Democratic friends, whatever day it [00:01:54] is, they're shutting your government [00:01:56] down, our government down to try to make [00:01:59] Republicans do something on healthcare [00:02:02] we're just not going to do. [00:02:05] They're trying to repeal [00:02:07] uh elements of the uh working family tax [00:02:10] cut, big beautiful bill, whatever you [00:02:12] want to call it, uh that would prohibit [00:02:16] uh healthc care funding going to illegal [00:02:18] immigrants. [00:02:19] They're trying to repeal many of the [00:02:21] things that we think are just good [00:02:23] reforms. over a trillion dollars pulling [00:02:27] back [00:02:28] um a trillion and a half dollars to go [00:02:30] in programs we think that are not not [00:02:34] not good investments. Um investing in a [00:02:37] program where illegal immigrants can get [00:02:39] free health care just gives you more [00:02:41] legal immigration. [00:02:43] One of the things that we're trying to [00:02:45] deal with is Medicaid has grown by 50% [00:02:48] in the last five years and we're trying [00:02:50] to put it on a more sustainable path in [00:02:52] helping rural hospitals. They want to [00:02:55] take the provision out of the bill that [00:02:56] would give $50 billion to rural [00:02:58] hospitals to help with Medicaid reform. [00:03:01] So, we're just not going to do that. Uh [00:03:04] that's never going to happen, nor should [00:03:06] it. So, what do we do next? I think the [00:03:09] first thing we need to do is [00:03:11] understanding that the statement every [00:03:14] day gets better for us is a lie. Us [00:03:18] being the United States, every day that [00:03:20] this thing drags on is bad for America. [00:03:23] It's dangerous for America. It's [00:03:25] dangerous to our national security, the [00:03:27] people in the FBI, the CIA that have to [00:03:29] work no matter where they get paid [00:03:32] simply to protect our nation. So this [00:03:34] madness really needs to end. I think [00:03:37] there are plenty of people over here [00:03:38] that would try to go forward to have a [00:03:41] debate about healthcare and maybe find [00:03:42] common ground, but not this way. The one [00:03:45] thing I've learned in my time and up [00:03:47] here is that [clears throat] [00:03:50] taking hostages, [00:03:52] political hostage taking shouldn't be [00:03:54] overly rewarded. Political terrorism [00:03:58] should never be rewarded. And what [00:04:00] you're doing over there by not finding a [00:04:02] way forward, you're terrorizing the [00:04:04] country for your own political benefit. [00:04:07] You really are engaging in political [00:04:09] terrorism. You're making it hard for [00:04:11] people to do things they need to do and [00:04:13] have to do. You're making it hard for [00:04:15] people to get services they need because [00:04:18] your political desire to beat us. I tell [00:04:21] you what, [00:04:23] that needs to stop. So to my leadership [00:04:26] here, y'all have done a great job. [00:04:29] Senator Thun particularly kind of saying [00:04:31] we'll talk but we got to open up the [00:04:33] government first. I really appreciate [00:04:35] what pre Senator Thun has done in that [00:04:38] regard. But I want my colleagues to know [00:04:40] the longer this goes and the more people [00:04:42] you hurt and the more you try to extract [00:04:45] from your political hostage taking the [00:04:48] less votes you're going to get from us. [00:04:50] Starting with me. I'm not going to give [00:04:52] into this. We're not going to reward [00:04:55] people who do this. I understand trying [00:04:58] to find common ground and getting [00:04:59] something to give something, but you've [00:05:02] gone way too far. You're hurting way too [00:05:04] many people. You're asking for things [00:05:05] that are really absurd. So, don't think [00:05:08] you're going to open up the government [00:05:10] with a handful of Democratic votes. If [00:05:12] this continues, you're going to need [00:05:14] much more than that cuz you're going to [00:05:16] lose me. I'm not going to play this game [00:05:18] any longer. This is bad for the country [00:05:21] and if we do it now, it will never end. [00:05:23] So, Senator Schumer, I couldn't disagree [00:05:25] with you more. Every day gets better for [00:05:29] us. [00:05:30] You clearly need to get out of [00:05:32] Washington and talk to people outside [00:05:35] the wacky left. You're disconnected with [00:05:38] real life in America. Every day this [00:05:40] goes on. Doesn't get better for us. [00:05:45] What are you asking us to do? [00:05:48] You're demanding that we [00:05:51] increase spending by a trillion and a [00:05:52] half dollars from savings we obtained [00:05:55] from the uh working families tax cut [00:05:58] bill. We're not going to do that. But [00:06:01] the main thing that's driving this [00:06:04] debate is a desire by Democrats to [00:06:07] continue a program called Obamacare [00:06:11] [clears throat] that is not [00:06:12] welldesigned, that is costing way too [00:06:15] much, is not delivering for the American [00:06:18] people, and we're not going to do that. [00:06:20] Senator Welch, a good friend, noted [00:06:23] yesterday that the Affordable Care Act [00:06:26] hasn't lived up to that billing. And [00:06:29] there are things we can do on health [00:06:30] care to lower cost and make life more [00:06:33] affordable. But my statement is that the [00:06:35] Affordable Care Act is unaffordable and [00:06:39] we're not going to reauthorize it [00:06:42] uh because you demand we do so because [00:06:44] it makes no sense to keep throwing good [00:06:47] money into this program. Now, President [00:06:51] Obama told us back in 2010, if we passed [00:06:55] the Affordable Care Act, which is the [00:06:57] unaffordable care act, families would uh [00:07:00] have a $2,500 a year decrease in their [00:07:03] premiums for health care. Well, that's [00:07:06] turned out to be a big flop. [00:07:10] Healthc care premiums have gone up a [00:07:12] 100% [00:07:14] from 2013 to 2019. [00:07:16] So, the Affordable Care Act [00:07:20] is anything but. [00:07:23] And they're asking for $350 billion over [00:07:27] a decade to keep these subsidies in [00:07:30] place that they chose to do in a [00:07:33] partisan way. They're due to expire. If [00:07:35] they were that great, why did you let [00:07:37] them expire? [00:07:39] Bottom line is you're trying to hold us [00:07:41] hostage as Republicans, making us invest [00:07:44] in a program that's just not a good deal [00:07:46] for America. No matter what you call it [00:07:49] or how you want to sell it, you're [00:07:52] selling a bad product and that product [00:07:54] needs to be discontinued as it exists [00:07:57] today. Who is the biggest winner of the [00:08:01] Affordable Care Act? Not consumers. A [00:08:04] dramatic increase in premiums. We didn't [00:08:06] lower premiums by $2,500 per family. [00:08:09] They've gone up by over 100% in just a [00:08:12] matter of years. Now you're wanting to [00:08:15] continue subsidies [00:08:17] that create subsidies for the Obamacare [00:08:21] that nobody in the private sector has. [00:08:25] The average person in America is paying [00:08:27] about 25% of their premium that works [00:08:28] for a company. What they're trying to do [00:08:31] is basically have most people pay [00:08:33] nothing and allow people making up to [00:08:37] hundreds of thousands of dollars to get [00:08:39] subsidies for their healthcare. We just [00:08:42] can't afford that. Senator Clolobachar [00:08:45] talked about a um husband and wife that [00:08:48] retired early from a union job that have [00:08:50] a combined income of about $130 [00:08:52] something,000 that their premiums will [00:08:55] go up. Well, the question is, do we need [00:08:57] to be subsidizing premiums for people [00:08:59] that make $130 something thousand [00:09:01] dollars that have defined benefit plans [00:09:05] plus social security? [00:09:08] The question becomes, [00:09:10] what makes sense? What can we afford? [00:09:14] What's the best way to help the American [00:09:15] people? I tell you, the best way to help [00:09:18] the American people is stop the madness [00:09:21] when it comes to Obamacare. What has [00:09:24] happened since the passage of this bill? [00:09:27] Let me tell you what's happened. [00:09:30] Health care companies, [00:09:33] insurance companies in the health care [00:09:35] space [00:09:36] have had their stock go up since 2010 by [00:09:41] over a,000%. [00:09:45] Now, what you want us to do is continue [00:09:48] these subsidies that go to insurance [00:09:50] companies that drive up the cost of [00:09:53] health care. We're not going to do it. [00:09:56] We're going to try to find a better way [00:09:58] to use the money to give it to consumers [00:10:01] so they can buy health care of their own [00:10:03] choosing to create competition doesn't [00:10:06] exist to get a better health care [00:10:08] outcome and save some money in the [00:10:11] process. So, Democrats are insisting [00:10:14] that Republicans continue the practice [00:10:17] of taking your hard-earned tax dollars [00:10:20] and making healthc care insurance [00:10:23] companies incredibly filthy rich. Look [00:10:26] at this chart. This is the S SNP 500. [00:10:31] These are different companies uh in the [00:10:35] space. But the main health care [00:10:37] companies that benefit from Obamacare [00:10:40] have seen their stock increase by a [00:10:42] thousand% [00:10:44] with no end in sight. [00:10:50] United Healthcare, [00:10:54] 1,177% [00:10:56] increase in stock. Sigma 822%. [00:11:04] 441 C uh percent. Humanana 490%. They [00:11:09] need to up their game. [00:11:11] M O L I N A whoever they are 859%. [00:11:16] S N TE 604%. [00:11:20] Etna 595% [00:11:23] since the passage of this bill. We are [00:11:26] not as Republicans going to continue [00:11:29] what you've created a windfall for [00:11:31] health care insurance companies. [00:11:34] Inflationary mechanisms in health care [00:11:36] without an end. We're going to stop and [00:11:40] fix what you created in 2010, which is [00:11:44] an outofcontrol [00:11:46] inflationary approach to health care [00:11:49] that rewards insurance companies over [00:11:52] anybody else. You told a big lie to the [00:11:55] American people when you passed this [00:11:56] bill, their premiums will go down by [00:11:59] $2,500 per family. They've gone up by [00:12:02] 100%. [snorts] We're going to stop the [00:12:04] madness. [00:12:05] We're going to come out with a proposal [00:12:07] that will have a different outcome than [00:12:09] this. We're going to come out with a [00:12:11] proposal that will allow this money to [00:12:14] go to people to make better choices for [00:12:16] them to create competition doesn't [00:12:19] exist. And the big loser will be the [00:12:21] insurance companies. The big winner will [00:12:23] be the consumer. And President Trump [00:12:25] stands ready to work with you on the [00:12:27] other side to get an outcome we can all [00:12:30] live with. We cannot live with this, [00:12:33] folks. We cannot live with Obamacare and [00:12:36] these subsidies as designed because [00:12:38] they're treating runaway inflation and [00:12:42] healthcare. They're rewarding the [00:12:44] biggest health care companies in the [00:12:46] country to the expense of the taxpayer. [00:12:49] We're going to break this cycle. [00:12:52] Now, how long will that take? I don't [00:12:54] know. [00:12:56] But I know this. I'm not going to be [00:12:59] forced [00:13:01] to continue [00:13:03] this wasteful, inefficient [00:13:07] program called Obamacare. [00:13:11] And because you tell me I have to to [00:13:13] open the government, I will not. And [00:13:17] we'll have an election one of these [00:13:18] days. And we'll see how this plays out [00:13:21] over time. We'll see what the American [00:13:24] people want. Do they want to continue [00:13:28] throwing money at insurance companies [00:13:30] like this [00:13:33] with increased costs [00:13:36] to the taxpayer and people that [00:13:38] participate in this program? Or would [00:13:40] they like something new and different [00:13:43] that would break [00:13:45] the endless reward to health care [00:13:47] companies and start rewarding consumers [00:13:51] to get better outcomes and lowering [00:13:53] their premiums. We'll have a debate [00:13:56] about that one day. We'll have an [00:13:58] election probably over that. But what [00:14:00] we're not going to do [00:14:03] is be held hostage for you to get your [00:14:07] way for me to vote to authorize a [00:14:11] program that is failing. That was a lie. [00:14:16] And I'm going to do what I can to fix [00:14:18] this. And if you want to continue to [00:14:21] shut down the government, holding me and [00:14:23] others hostages to continue this [00:14:26] garbage, we're not going to do it. [00:14:29] We will be rewarding the worst possible [00:14:31] behavior in politics. You'll just get [00:14:34] more of this. So, here's my advice to my [00:14:36] Democratic colleagues. [00:14:40] work with people who are trying to find [00:14:42] a way forward to reopen the government [00:14:46] to have a conversation about how to [00:14:48] better to deliver affordable health care [00:14:51] working in a bipartisan manner and we'll [00:14:54] get to where we need to go as a country. [00:14:57] We will not give in to political [00:15:01] terrorism and hostage taking. [00:15:04] Your desire to keep the government shut [00:15:06] down is terrorizing Americans. [00:15:10] Americans are losing vital services. [00:15:13] Their lives have been turned upside down [00:15:17] because you care more about continuing a [00:15:20] terrible program than you do them. [00:15:24] And we're not going to give in. I [00:15:27] promise you, I will work with you to get [00:15:31] a better outcome. I promise you I will [00:15:33] vote no to your political hostage taking [00:15:38] and let the chips fall where they may. [00:15:41] You're overplaying your hand. You're [00:15:43] doing a lot of damage to good people [00:15:46] that just want a better life and some [00:15:48] certainty in their life. I try to work [00:15:51] with you when I can on the other side. [00:15:53] Sometimes we argue and I try to argue [00:15:56] effectively, [00:15:58] but I will not be part of this process [00:16:01] any longer. [00:16:03] You're destroying the lives of Americans [00:16:06] for a political desire that's [00:16:08] unreasonable. [00:16:10] You're asking me and others to continue [00:16:13] a program that is fundamentally broken, [00:16:16] that's inflationary. And the only winner [00:16:19] of Obamacare are the largest health care [00:16:22] companies in America who are making [00:16:26] excessive profits [00:16:28] off a health care system you designed. [00:16:32] And all you want is more people signed [00:16:34] up on this program. and you're rewarding [00:16:37] insurance companies for finding more [00:16:38] people who are making a fortune and the [00:16:42] delivery of health care is costing more [00:16:44] and the quality is going down. We're not [00:16:46] going to do this. We're not going to [00:16:48] give into this. So my approach is a [00:16:51] nightmare for the health care insurance [00:16:54] companies. Our approach will be the [00:16:57] biggest loser will be healthare health [00:16:59] care insurance companies. The biggest [00:17:01] winner will be consumers who will have [00:17:04] choices they don't today and money they [00:17:07] can have that they don't have today to [00:17:09] buy a better product. That's what this [00:17:11] is about. The insistence of the [00:17:13] Democratic Party to excessively reward [00:17:18] health care insurance companies who are [00:17:20] doing their bidding to sign up people on [00:17:23] government health care that's [00:17:24] inefficient. It's not working. You don't [00:17:27] care it's inefficient not working. You [00:17:30] just want more people and you're using [00:17:32] the insurance companies and the health [00:17:34] care space as your agents, as your [00:17:38] proxies, and they're willingly doing [00:17:40] your bidding. To the insurance companies [00:17:43] and the health care space, your days are [00:17:46] numbered when it comes to this crap. To [00:17:49] my Democratic colleagues, you want a [00:17:51] debate on healthcare, let it begin right [00:17:53] now. [00:17:54] Look what you're doing with taxpayer [00:17:57] dollars. You're not relieving the cost [00:17:59] of health care to working people. You're [00:18:01] increasing their premiums. You're making [00:18:03] health care more inflationary. And the [00:18:06] only people that really are winning big [00:18:08] are healthcare insurance companies who [00:18:11] are willingly playing this game. And [00:18:12] they'll never stop. Why would they? Why [00:18:15] would a health care insurance company [00:18:17] turn their back on this program when [00:18:20] they're making a killing? [00:18:24] Well, I don't know what's going to [00:18:26] happen or when it's going to happen, but [00:18:28] I know this. I will never vote to [00:18:31] continue this madness. If you're [00:18:34] insisting that I have to continue this [00:18:36] program, I will not. I owe it to the [00:18:39] people of South Carolina and the country [00:18:41] to break this cycle. We owe it to the [00:18:44] people of America to open up our [00:18:46] government and have a logical discussion [00:18:48] about making health care more affordable [00:18:50] and breaking the cycle of runaway [00:18:52] inflation. [00:18:54] You're on a course that's going to [00:18:58] disrupt American people's lives to get [00:19:01] an outcome that's terrible for the [00:19:03] country, which is continuing Obamacare [00:19:05] the way it's constructed. [00:19:08] You will not be successful. [00:19:11] I will make sure there are enough [00:19:13] Republicans over here to say no to your [00:19:17] plan to hold us hostage and continue to [00:19:20] terrorize this country. You've gone too [00:19:23] far. If I were you, [00:19:27] Senator Schumer, [00:19:29] I would rethink [00:19:33] because I'm telling you, every day is [00:19:34] not getting better for you. Because [00:19:36] every day is getting worse for the [00:19:38] people of this country who interact with [00:19:40] the government, who travel, [00:19:43] who are working and not getting paid. [00:19:45] It's getting worse for them. And you're [00:19:47] demanding of something of me and others, [00:19:49] we will not give into. We will not be [00:19:52] held hostage to continue Obamacare. [00:19:55] That's been a miserable failure. We will [00:19:57] not be held hostage to continue to give [00:20:00] money to health care companies, [00:20:01] insurance companies to enrich him at the [00:20:04] expense of the American people. So, I [00:20:06] don't know when it ends and how it ends, [00:20:08] but I know what the outcome will be with [00:20:09] my vote. We're going to break the cycle [00:20:14] of rewarding health care insurance [00:20:16] companies at the expense of the [00:20:18] consumer. We're going to stop this [00:20:20] madness with my vote. [00:20:24] I hope we find a way forward, [00:20:27] but that way forward will not include [00:20:29] what's going on today. [00:20:31] So, I will be voting no to the idea [00:20:36] that we will continue these subsidies, [00:20:39] rewarding healthc care insurance [00:20:41] companies insane amounts, driving up [00:20:44] premium cost, and getting bad outcomes. [00:20:47] to open up the government. I reject that [00:20:51] and I will vote no to that. And the [00:20:53] demands you're making grow every day. [00:20:56] You're overplaying your hand and you're [00:20:59] hurting people. [00:21:01] Stop it. Within are you?