Murray: “Republican Efforts to Undermine Families’ Health Care Are Nothing but a Dead End”

Murray: “This legislation has no chance of becoming law”

Murray calls on Republicans to stop political pandering and work with Democrats on policies to help families

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee delivered remarks on the Senate floor as debate began on extreme Republican legislation to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood. In her remarks, Murray highlighted that the legislation would be a harmful step backward, putting the health care coverage of millions of people in jeopardy, and undermining Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest women’s health care provider. Murray explained that the legislation is nothing more than political pandering to the Republican base that will not be signed into law, and called on Republican leaders to work with Democrats to move our health care system forward, strengthen our economy, and grow the middle class.

Key excerpts from Senator Murray’s remarks:

“I’m pleased that over the last few months Republicans and Democrats have been able to work together on some important issues. We passed another bipartisan budget deal, we’ve worked together on a bill to fix the broken No Child Left Behind Law, and Republicans and Democrats are working hard to pass a transportation bill that would do so much to help fix our crumbling infrastructure. But there’s certainly much more we need to do to boost wages, expand opportunity, and make sure our economy is growing from the middle out, not the top down. We should be working across the aisle to raise the minimum wage, ensure working parents can earn paid sick days, and make higher education more affordable and accessible for all students. With the holidays just around the corner, we should be focused on what struggling families need in order to make ends meet.”

“…instead, M. President, Republican leaders are insisting on tilting at Tea Party windmills—by trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act for the umpteenth time. I want to be very clear about what that would mean for millions of men, women, and children across our country. The policies they are putting forward today could cause millions of people to lose their health care coverage, make premiums skyrocket, increase costs for hospitals and providers, cut off support for important public health programs by repealing the prevention fund, and take us back to the bad old days when insurance companies, not patients, had all the power.”

“After years of trying to turn back the clock on women’s constitutionally protected rights and undermine Planned Parenthood, Republicans should have gotten their fill of political attacks on women’s health. But clearly, they haven’t. M. President, in the wake of the tragedy in Colorado Springs last week, I have thought a lot about how important it is that we do more to ensure communities are protected from that kind of violence. And that we continue to stand with Planned Parenthood as it helps so many people, women and men, get the care they need. So it’s very frustrating that my Republican colleagues are doubling down on their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and get in between women and their care.”

“Republicans may want to go back to the days when being a woman was a pre-existing condition, and they may see this entire, bizarre effort as nothing more than a great opportunity to pander to their extreme Tea Party base by attacking health care and Planned Parenthood. But for millions of women and families, the policies we’re debating today are no political exercise. Instead, if enacted, they would represent a deeply harmful step backward. A step away from building a health care system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality—one that contributes to economic security and opportunity. Women and families have seen these extreme Republican attempts many times before—and frankly, I think they have had enough.”

“We want to move health care forward, not backward, for women and families. And we want to do other important work across the aisle to strengthen our economy and grow our middle class. So, as my Republican colleagues double down on their partisan political pandering, we are going to continue to stand up for families’ health care and stand up for women and their rights every step of the way. And I hope my Republican colleagues will finally drop the politics and join us.”

Full text of Senator Murray’s remarks:

“Thank you, M. President.

“Like many of my colleagues I am deeply disappointed that Republican leaders have dedicated this week to partisan political attacks, rather than working with us to deliver results for the families we represent. 

“So I want to take a few minutes to discuss the work we could and should be doing, and make clear—again—that Republican efforts to undermine families’ health care are nothing but a dead end.

“I’m pleased that over the last few months Republicans and Democrats have been able to work together on some important issues. We passed another bipartisan budget deal, we’ve worked together on a bill to fix the broken No Child Left Behind Law, and Republicans and Democrats are working hard to pass a transportation bill that would do so much to help fix our crumbling infrastructure.

“But there’s certainly much more we need to do to boost wages, expand opportunity, and make sure our economy is growing from the middle out, not the top down.

“We should be working across the aisle to raise the minimum wage, ensure working parents can earn paid sick days, and make higher education more affordable and accessible for all students. With the holidays just around the corner, we should be focused on what struggling families need in order to make ends meet.

“These are the kinds of issues I’d like to be working on—and so many more.

“But instead, M. President, Republican leaders are insisting on tilting at Tea Party windmills—by trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act for the umpteenth time.

“I want to be very clear about what that would mean for millions of men, women, and children across our country.

“The policies they are putting forward today could cause millions of people to lose their health care coverage, make premiums skyrocket, increase costs for hospitals and providers, cut off support for important public health programs by repealing the prevention fund, and take us back to the bad old days when insurance companies, not patients, had all the power.

“M. President, Democrats believe strongly that while the Affordable Care Act was a historic step forward, the work didn’t end when the law passed—far from it.

“We are willing to work with anyone, on either side of the aisle, who has good ideas about how to build on the progress made so far, and continue making health care more affordable, expanding coverage, and improving quality of care for families.

“So it is very disappointing that Republicans instead continue to insist that when it comes to health care politics, not families, come first.

“Especially because—to be very clear—this legislation has no chance of becoming law.

“And the very same is true when it comes to this latest attempt to cut off women’s access to health care.  

“After years of trying to turn back the clock on women’s constitutionally protected rights and undermine Planned Parenthood, Republicans should have gotten their fill of political attacks on women’s health. But clearly, they haven’t.

“M. President, in the wake of the tragedy in Colorado Springs last week, I have thought a lot about how important it is that we do more to ensure communities are protected from that kind of violence.

“And that we continue to stand with Planned Parenthood as it helps so many people, women and men, get the care they need.

“So it’s very frustrating that my Republican colleagues are doubling down on their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and get in between women and their care.

“If Republicans were to succeed in defunding Planned Parenthood—our nation’s largest women’s health care provider—with the legislation we are debating today, they would undermine a critical source of health care that one in five women have relied on for cancer screenings, HIV tests, and more.

“And they would make it harder for women to exercise their constitutionally protected right to make their own choices about their own bodies and doctors.

“By dismantling critical health care reforms, this proposal would cause millions of women to lose their health care coverage, and with it, access to everything from birth control to prenatal care.

“That’s simply not going to happen—not on my watch, not on Democrats’ watch, and not on President Obama’s watch.

“M. President, Republicans may want to go back to the days when being a woman was a pre-existing condition, and they may see this entire, bizarre effort as nothing more than a great opportunity to pander to their extreme Tea Party base by attacking health care and Planned Parenthood. But for millions of women and families, the policies we’re debating today are no political exercise.

“Instead, if enacted, they would represent a deeply harmful step backward. A step away from building a health care system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality—one that contributes to economic security and opportunity.

“Women and families have seen these extreme Republican attempts many times before—and frankly, I think they have had enough.

“They don’t want Congress fighting over whether to roll back a law that has helped millions of people get health care coverage, and bolstered our nation’s public health system—a law that has been upheld time and again by the Supreme Court. And they believe firmly that politicians in Congress should have better things to do than interfere with women’s constitutionally protected health care choices. They would rather see us working together to actually improve health care—and on the many other challenges our country faces.

“Democrats agree. We want to move health care forward, not backward, for women and families. And we want to do other important work across the aisle to strengthen our economy and grow our middle class.

“So, as my Republican colleagues double down on their partisan political pandering, we are going to continue to stand up for families’ health care and stand up for women and their rights every step of the way.

“And I hope my Republican colleagues will finally drop the politics and join us. Thank you and I yield the floor.”