On the recordOctober 3, 2013
I would like to make a few comments slightly off topic for celebrating Manufacturing Recognition Day tomorrow and just explain to my constituents at home in a couple of minutes--because I don't want to take the entire time, but in a couple of minutes, explain to my constituents at home my feelings and how I think things are playing out here in Washington. I haven't had an opportunity to be home, and I want to communicate to them. My position here obviously is we need to get the government up and running. We have the national discussion going on about health care, the Affordable Care Act. I voted for the Affordable Care Act, support the Affordable Care Act. We're going to have its glitches as it rolls out. But prior to a few years ago, as we were getting into the run-up of the Affordable Care Act, I had 1,700 families in 1 year go bankrupt because of health care costs, numerous people losing their insurance. As we're talking about the next generation of manufacturing, it has been an ugly process in communities like ours with people losing their jobs and not having health insurance, and 45, 50, 55, 60 years old can't yet qualify for Medicare, are stuck, can't get any insurance. That was a problem. Health care costs going up dramatically. But what's happening here is we're now having a discussion from a smaller group in the Republican caucus of Tea Party members who are hellbent on killing the Affordable Care Act and dismantling it.…
