Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I rise today to support the House Republican package to alleviate rising healthcare costs for small businesses. I am proud that the Committee on Education and the Workforce has taken a leading role in this effort. Healthcare cost is the number one issue facing small businesses today. In fact, according to the NFIB, it has been their top issue for over 30 straight years. Through the dot-com bubble, the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and record inflation, small businesses have consistently identified healthcare costs as their greatest concern. House Republicans recognize that these small businesses are the engines of the American economy, and this package is the first step toward much-needed relief. I will take a moment to discuss the two pieces of this package from the jurisdiction of the Education and the Workforce Committee. First, this package incorporates Representative Good's Self-Insurance Protection Act. We passed the Self-Insurance Protection Act through committee because small businesses are being squeezed. There is no other way to put it. On the one hand, premiums are skyrocketing, and it is costing small businesses a fortune to cover their employees. Single-coverage premiums cost about $8,000 per year now, and they are drastically outpacing inflation.…”