Rob Andrews: “The purpose of this final amendment, which would not delay consideration of the bill, if passed, is to be sure that no…”

“The purpose of this final amendment, which would not delay consideration of the bill, if passed, is to be sure that no one who's covered by their employer today suffers as a result of this bill. But make no mistake about it, the purpose of the underlying bill is to unravel the Affordable Care Act thread by thread and make sure that it collapses under its own weight. Make no mistake about it further, our purpose is forgotten around here if that's what this Congress does. We are not a debating society. We are not a perpetual political campaign. We are a legislative body that makes decisions that affect the real lives of real people in very significant ways. It is very important that all Members understand the consequences of what is being done here today. There are a lot of Americans whose lives are not being impacted here today: Among the 11 million unemployed in this country, they are hoping that next week might be the first week they get a paycheck in a long time. This House, consistent with its practice, is doing nothing. For the members of families with student loans, there are over 5 million of them who have seen their student loan rates double on the 1st of July. This House, consistent with its practice, is doing nothing for them today.…”