On the recordJanuary 13, 2017
Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my grave concerns with the Republican budget proposal for 2017. The budget before us today is a disaster for the American people. Not only does it add $9 trillion to the national debt and put our nation on the path to fiscal ruin, it begins the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act, taking health insurance away from 30 million Americans. Our national budget is not just pages of numbers. It is a statement of our nation's values. By that measure, this budget is morally bankrupt. The Affordable Care Act became law in March 2010, yet despite their condemnations of the law, Republicans have failed to present any comprehensive alternative in the nearly seven years since it was signed into law. Not one single proposal. The Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said it best at the Washington Post's Daily 202 interview on November 29th last year when he suggested our healthcare system should look more like the cable industry because of all the choices consumers have in that market. He said, ``I always use the analogy, would I want to pick a cable company to watch what I want to watch on TV? I love the options that I have, I love the ability to switch, I love the different packages that I can pick if I like a certain sports team, or I want to watch HBO or something else.…





