John Garamendi: “As I often do these Special Order hours here on the floor, I want to start by stating the fundamental reason I am here…”

“As I often do these Special Order hours here on the floor, I want to start by stating the fundamental reason I am here and my Democratic colleagues are here. I harken back to a very famous American, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is actually etched in stone down at his memorial on the other end of the plaza here. He said: ``The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.'' That ``we provide enough for those who have too little,'' a fundamental value, a fundamental statement of purpose, a fundamental statement of why we seek elective office, not to provide more for those who have much, but, rather, for those who have too little. In that regard, Mr. Speaker, I do not understand why a man who says he has much would purposely set out to harm those who have too little. Why, Mr. Speaker, would the President of the United States put in place a policy to take healthcare away from Americans? Obviously, he has much, or at least he says he does. But millions of Americans rely upon the Affordable Care Act for their insurance, for their health insurance, literally for their ability to stay alive. Why would the President of the United States ask the court to repeal, to find unconstitutional, the Affordable Care Act that has provided insurance coverage to more than 20 million Americans and healthcare benefits to millions upon millions more?…”