Chuck Schumer Shreds 'Big, Beautiful Bill' After CBO Says Over 10 Million Could Lose Health Coverage

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the Republicans' budget.

Transcript

00:00The Democrat leader.

00:03I want to thank my colleague, Senator Welch, the great senator from Vermont,

00:07for shining a spotlight on Donald Trump and the Republicans' attack on health care

00:12in their so-called big, beautiful bill.

00:16Let's be honest about what the Republican bill really is.

00:19It's repeal and replace by another name.

00:23Not one fell swoop, but death by a thousand paper cuts.

00:27They're afraid to say they want to kill health care, Medicaid, ACA.

00:34So instead, they put so many barriers in the way that, in effect, they do the same thing.

00:39They're doing the same with Social Security.

00:42We've all heard how this bill will devastate Medicaid.

00:46It's the largest cut in history.

00:49Every day you learn more about this bill, it gets worse.

00:51It includes over $1 trillion, $1 trillion in health care cuts.

00:58Cuts to the ACA, even cuts to Medicare.

01:02We've been learning that Medicare will be hurt as well by the sequestration.

01:07And today, if you didn't think it could get worse with this big, ugly bill, it sure did.

01:12The CBO just announced that their bill will kick millions more people off their health care than we originally thought.

01:22Not only by attacking Medicaid, but by crippling the ACA, private insurance, and even Medicare now.

01:29Yesterday, it was 13.7 million people who would lose coverage.

01:34Today, it's as high as 16 million.

01:37And, you know, that's a big number, 16 million.

01:39It's families, it's people who need health care, people whose kids might have cancer and they're desperate to get something done.

01:48Elderly, who are paying so much for medicine that they can't afford to go to a doctor to see if the medicine is working.

01:57Families that are just starting out and maybe someone lost his or her job.

02:03Yep, 16 million.

02:09But that's each a person, a family, a group.

02:13The more you look at the House bill, the worse it gets.

02:17Enrollment time shortened by an entire month.

02:20Wait time's longer for everyone at the hospital.

02:2222 million people.

02:2422 million people could see their average premium go up by an average of 93%.

02:30Small business owners, 3.3 million, will see their premiums skyrocket.

02:36Hospitals, nursing homes, health centers, all at risk.

02:40I've been at nursing homes in many parts of my state.

02:43Guess what?

02:45They're all afraid they're going to close.

02:4760, 70% of their income is Medicaid.

02:51That's how they take care of the elderly.

02:53And those people will lose their coverage and be forced to leave because the nursing home will close.

03:02Well, how about those 45-year-old couples with three kids, no extra room in the house,

03:08and mom has to come back because she's got no place to go,

03:12and there won't be adequate health care there at home.

03:14And job loss.

03:17Job loss on this big, ugly bill, this betrayal.

03:23850,000 will lose their jobs in health care alone.

03:26Another 800,000 in clean energy.

03:30Many, many more.

03:32Millions are losing their jobs.

03:34I don't know how the economists would think, but when you lose 2 million jobs, if that's the case,

03:40you're right on the edge of a recession, if not in one.

03:44And despite all this, Donald Trump has the gall to lie and say that his bill wouldn't harm Americans' health care.

03:51He says no one will lose coverage.

03:54Ladies and gentlemen, people of America, Donald Trump is lying.

04:00The bill will kick people off their health care coverage.

04:03It will slash health care benefits.

04:05It will close rural hospitals.

04:07People will get sicker and die.

04:10What did the junior senator from Iowa say?

04:13Well, we're all going to die.

04:17How about the junior senator from Louisiana?

04:19I'm not worried about people losing their health care.

04:22It shows the callousness of the Republican senators when it comes to health care.

04:27They don't seem to care.

04:28They seem to say tough luck.

04:30Republicans should forget calling this their one beautiful bill.

04:36You know what the new name for this bill is, a more suitable name?

04:39The We're All Going to Die Act.

04:42The We're All Going to Die Act.

04:46Because that just about sums up how callous they're being with the American people.

04:51For many Americans, health care is the difference between life and death.

04:56Democrats will fight this bill with everything we've got.

05:00The American people deserve to know the truth.

05:02And one more point I would say to my colleagues.

05:06Donald Trump is selling you Republican colleagues a bill of goods.

05:10It's not going to hurt anybody.

05:11Don't believe his false words.

05:14Because when you vote for this bill, the effects will actually occur.

05:20And the public will realize what you have done.

05:23So don't let Donald Trump sell you a bill of goods.

05:26We know he makes things up out of the clear blue all the time.

05:30He's doing it now.

05:31And when he calls you in and tells you that no one's going to be hurt and no one's going to lose coverage,

05:39you know that's a crock of you know what.

05:42Can't say it here.

05:45Don't listen to him.

05:47Because your constituents will pay an awful price in health care.

05:52And they will know you did it.

05:54I yield the floor.

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