Joaquin Castro: “Thank you, Ranking Member Levin, for yielding. We speak a lot in this body about the freedoms that we as Americans have…”

“Thank you, Ranking Member Levin, for yielding. We speak a lot in this body about the freedoms that we as Americans have been endowed with by our forefathers and that are enshrined in the Constitution, whether it is the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, or our Second Amendment freedoms. I think we all understand and know--unfortunately, too many Americans know firsthand--that when you are sick and lying in a hospital bed or at home and have a child that you can't afford to take to the doctor, those freedoms mean very little. For someone who couldn't get health insurance, whose life is spiraling downward, who can't afford to make their car or mortgage payment, how much are those freedoms worth when their life is spiraling downward because they can't afford health care anymore? The fact is one of the greatest things that the Affordable Care Act has done is allowed more Americans to be able to enjoy the freedoms that all of us here in Congress fight so hard to protect for the American people. A few of the troubling things about this bill is that up to a million people would lose their health care coverage if this piece of legislation was enacted. As Congressman Levin mentioned, it would cost $74 billion to the American people, adding to our debt and deficit. What is also interesting is that just about every bill that is now allowed to pass through the House of Representatives requires a pay- for.…”