Mike Thompson: “I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, let's be real clear. There is not a carbon tax bill before us…”

“I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, let's be real clear. There is not a carbon tax bill before us today. This is a political stunt, and this stunt comes at the same time that the Republican majority is undermining access to affordable healthcare for all our constituents. They are working with this administration to sabotage the healthcare marketplaces and drive up prices, legislating away coverage and protections for our constituents. They have gutted resources that help people enroll in the plans that are best for them. They are expanding junk healthcare plans that don't provide care if you are sick or injured, that can charge more for preexisting conditions, that charge more for older people. Their scam of a tax bill eliminated the individual mandate, driving healthier folks away from coverage. That means risk can't be spread and prices go up. Kids born with heart problems or young adults diagnosed with cancer will pay a penalty for the rest of their lives. On top of all of that, the administration has frozen the risk adjustment payments, which prevent insurance companies from cherry- picking only the healthiest people to cover. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Republican sabotage efforts will increase the cost of health insurance by as much as 24 percent this year alone. These are some of the issues that are hurting the middle class now, and these are some of the issues that we should be focusing on.…”