On the recordJanuary 22, 2015
I thank my friend from Rochester for yielding me this time. Madam Speaker, if at first you don't succeed, try again. That is clearly what my Republican colleagues are doing this morning. The bill Republicans initially attempted to bring to the floor today would have required women to go to the police before they could even address their own health care needs. They abandoned that first line of attack on women's health because it was too extreme, even for members of their own party. But they weren't going to let something like that stop them from pandering to the rightwing flank. Fortunately for the Republicans, they have a long list of bills that attack health care and women's access to care. So it is easy for them to just swap it out for another extremist effort. Their partisan base will be happy--but at the expense of the health of many women and families in our country. This bill will have a serious impact on families' ability to make their own health care decisions. It will raise taxes on hardworking Americans just if they happen to choose a health care plan that this majority doesn't like. And for what? So my Republican colleagues can score cheap political points. This is not what the American people want. They want an agenda that lifts people up. They want us to be working on legislation that creates jobs, boosts paychecks in this country, and strengthens our economy. This bill will do none of these things.…
