00:00Mr. President. Mr. President, I rise today to oppose this partisan reconciliation bill.
00:07Republicans have named it the one big, beautiful bill, but you'd only use that kind of title if
00:14you were trying to hide something. And here's the simple truth. This bill takes health insurance
00:22and food assistance away from millions of Americans and gives President Trump's billionaire
00:29and millionaire friends giant tax cuts. And this bill, it would provide hundreds of billions
00:39of dollars in tax giveaways to the country's 902 billionaires and millionaires, while kicking
00:4817 million Americans off their health insurance. Just weigh the balance. 902 beneficiaries
00:58with extraordinary taxes, deductions, and tax benefits versus denial of health care to 17
01:07million Americans. It doesn't balance. And despite slashing health care, somehow this bill
01:18will add trillions of dollars to our national debt. It will further weaken our financial
01:25position in the world. It will indeed have many countries wondering if the United States is,
01:34as it has been since the end of World War II, the place to put their resources, their investments,
01:41their reserves. This could have profound fiscal and monetary implications for the United States. And if you tie
01:50that together with this tariff battle, we are headed economically in the wrong direction, as we are socially.
01:58This bill is loaded with outrageous special interest giveaways and President Trump's personal political priorities. For
02:08example, 7.5 billion dollars for wealthy developers to use for luxury housing and other high-priced
02:17developments at a time when affordable housing for working family is a crisis in every state in the country.
02:251.7 billion dollars for gun makers who will be able to sell silences, sort off shotguns, short-barreled
02:35rifles, and other very dangerous weapons and components tax-free, making our streets more dangerous for
02:44police and for the American people. And indeed, especially for the police, because they're the first responders. They're the
02:54ones that are typically going to the door wondering if the person behind that door has an automatic weapon or
03:01some other weapon designed not to hunt or shoot but to kill. Hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax cuts for
03:11extraordinarily wealthy oil and gas companies. And $40 million for a garden of heroes, a sculpture garden to honor
03:20President Trump's favorite historical personalities. And at the same time, it slashes the budget for the Consumer Financial
03:29Protection Bureau, which makes sure that shady payday lenders, mortgage lenders, and banks don't fleece American families. And in
03:38particular, the military division of the CFPB protects men and women in the uniform of the United States. We were
03:49able to pass an interest cap of 36% for active duty personnel. And that is going to be ignored because there's no one to
04:01enforce it. And we are going to see, as we have in the past, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardians,
04:10exploited, systematically exploited by all those little automobile shops and payday lenders and everything else that
04:22surrounds every military force base in this country. It's a tale as old as time. My Republican
04:33colleagues showering the rich with tax benefits and prioritizing favorite industries and friends.
04:41President Bush joined with the Republican Congress to do that. Of course, I opposed it. And by the way, when
04:49President Bush did that, we were projected to have, over the next 10 years, a multi-trillion dollar
04:58surplus. Of course, this legislation will lead us to a multi-trillion dollar deficit. And it's
05:10interesting because when I was younger, the Republicans all associated themselves with physical
05:18stability, balanced budgets, surpluses, that's not the case. President Trump exacerbated the
05:27situation in his first term by his grand giveaway. But this time, President Trump and my colleagues
05:36on the other side of the aisle are depriving millions of Americans of their health care coverage
05:43to pay for it. They are intent on punishing the most vulnerable Americans in this bill, simply
05:50for the crime of being poor. In fact, in many cases, despite working very long hours and being poor.
06:01I came here to Congress to the Senate after serving my country in the U.S. Army, as the President did with great
06:08distinction in the United States Navy as a Navy SEAL. I came here to serve my constituents and improve the
06:15lives of average Americans. And I think most of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike, came with the
06:22same goal. And according to press reports, a few of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are starting to
06:29realize that this bill is going to do great damage to their constituents. One Republican
06:36colleague has warned that this bill could leave 600,000 of his constituents without health care coverage
06:44and blow a $38 billion hole in his state's budget. That would be a devastating effect. One of the other
06:54aspects of this attack on our health care system is there are some people that believe, well, Medicaid
07:00doesn't touch me. It certainly does. Because when you extract that much money from the health care
07:06system, what will private health insurance do? They'll raise their rates. Everyone will be paying more.
07:13And some won't be able to afford it. They'll have to go without coverage. And that is going to be a tragedy for
07:23this country. Now, knowing of the damage this bill is going to do, one must ask, why would anyone support this?
07:36But this legislation is more than just numbers. I've heard from countless Rhode Islanders who are concerned
07:45about these cuts. During meetings, in letters, when I bump into them at the grocery store or the pharmacy, they've been
07:54telling me about how Medicaid has helped them and their families. I've been meeting, for example, with
08:00Christina from Smithfield, Rhode Island for many years. Her daughter, Lauren, was born with cystic fibrosis and has endured
08:08countless hospitalizations, procedures, medications, and other challenges as she
08:15navigates life with this disease. Christina, Lauren, and their family have private insurance. But Medicaid also
08:25helps cover the expenses not covered by private insurance for people with serious
08:31illnesses who are not able to work. When President Trump and Congressional Republicans began proposing these
08:39cuts to Medicaid, Christina told me, and I quote, Lauren was born with CF, a rare genetic progressive disease, which
08:49affects her lungs, GI, and endocrine systems. I had no idea we carried this gene. When Lauren was born, she spent a month in the
08:58hospital. We almost lost her. When she was five, she contracted a germ that put her in the hospital for a month and
09:06almost killed her. Her lung function fell to 70%. At 13, I thought she was going to die. Her hospital stays were every
09:17three months for two weeks with IV treatments. Her lung function fell to 30%. With one of the medicines for
09:27CF, she was able to finally get her lung function back to 65% at 23 years old. She still suffers every day. Just
09:39trying to breathe is difficult. If she catches the common cold, you could put her in the hospital. She has had a hard
09:47time keeping weight on and her GI is a disaster. She spent hours in the bathroom. She developed CF-related
09:55diabetes, which always puts her in danger. Every day is rigorous treatment and medications just to stay
10:03alive. It is with the help of the NIH and the FDA that she is still alive. Please do not make these cuts.
10:13If Medicaid is cut, when she is 26, two years from now, she will have no way to pay for all of her
10:23medications, medications and treatments. Few could afford to keep her alive. It is this simple. Without Medicaid, she
10:33will die. We need your help. Carolina from Central Falls, Rhode Island shared similar concerns for her daughter. My daughter has
10:45special needs and we rely on Medicaid for her needs. Not having Medicaid would create a sinkhole for us.
10:53People with profound autism need lifetime, 24-7 care. As you consider budget cuts, it is important to me as your
11:03constituent that you work to ensure that this vulnerable population has access to the critical supports that it
11:11needs to survive. I will be looking to you for your courage and leadership. Indeed, and now we are looking across the
11:21aisle for courage and leadership to reject this flawed bill. I received an email from one constituent,
11:27Wally from Cranston, Rhode Island. She is a 71-year-old retiree on Medicare. Her husband is 72 with Alzheimer's
11:37disease, living in a nursing home under hospice care and relying on Medicaid for his health care. She wrote
11:45me that she was, quote, terrified at all the cuts to programs and services that she and her husband so
11:53desperately rely on. Without Medicaid, she wonders if she or her husband would be able to continue
12:03receiving care. I also heard from Diane in Coventry, Rhode Island, whose daughter gets life-saving
12:10care through Medicaid. Diane said, Medicaid is important to me personally. Medicaid matters to me
12:18and my family. My 15-year-old daughter suffered a blame bleed and a stroke at the age of five. It came out
12:26of nowhere. It was very unexpected. She has spent a lot of time in the hospital, rehabilitation services,
12:34doctor's offices, appointments, etc. over the past almost 10 years. Medicaid allows her to be home and taken care of
12:44on a daily basis. Without Medicaid, she would not be able to receive hospital-level care at home. She
12:51wouldn't have a wheelchair or any other durable medical equipment. She wouldn't be able to get her life-saving
12:58medications or the nourishment she needs through her G-tube. Please, I urge you to save Medicaid, not only for my
13:08family, but for millions of others. All of our lives depend on it. Now, my colleagues on the other side of the
13:16aisle may say, we're not going to cut these people's Medicaid. We're just going after the fraudsters, the
13:22freeloaders who aren't working. Now, who exactly are these fraudsters and freeloaders? Is it the elderly
13:29patient who needs expensive nursing home care? Is it the child with a serious chronic
13:35health condition? Should we cut off these people's access to health care because they
13:40can't work? They physically cannot work? Or because the constant pay for the work
13:47requirements got lost in the shuffle? Let's speak here. If my colleagues were serious about
13:54eliminating fraud, they would be providing states with more resources to investigate
13:59questionable claims and bad actors. Medicaid coverage is not extravagant. It is a
14:07lifeline. If my colleagues were sincere in their claim that these cuts are about
14:13protecting the program, quote, for the people who need it the most, as the Majora
14:18leader has claimed, then they would be investing the so-called savings back into
14:24Medicaid instead of blowing it on tax cuts for the low-off. Instead, this bill is
14:30cutting funding to states for Medicaid, and states will have no choice but to pick
14:35and choose who will get access to care. But don't take my word for it. The
14:42nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, CBO, estimates that this bill will cause
14:47nearly 17 million Americans to lose their health insurance. 17 million people.
14:54That's not fraud. It's just making it harder for people to get health care.
15:00On top of that, even if you're one of the lucky ones who gets to keep your
15:05Medicaid, will you still be able to get it? Nursing homes rely on Medicaid. More than
15:13six in ten nursing home residents in Rhode Island are on Medicaid. As Medicaid
15:19funding is cut, what will nursing homes do? I imagine some will have to close their
15:25doors or dramatically reduce the number of beds. So you could be one of these fairly
15:32well-to-do Rhode Islanders trying to get mom in the Medicaid home, in your, the
15:38nursing home, I should say, and you're willing to pay, but if it's closed or there's
15:44only five beds where there used to be 20, she's going to be where, in my generation, grandparents
15:54were, in the living room, in a hospital bed, being cared for in those days, typically by your
16:03mother. So this approach to Medicaid is going to touch every aspect of American life. And the
16:11same can be said about the community health care centers. Medicaid makes up a
16:15huge portion of the operating budget for community health centers, which provide
16:20primary, dental, and behavioral care to more than 200,000 Rhode Islanders. That's
16:26roughly one in five Rhode Islanders. It's hard enough to find a doctor now. It will
16:32only get harder if a community health center closes its doors and thousands of
16:37thousands of patients don't have a doctor anymore. And where do all those
16:42patients end up when they can't get routine care? The emergency room. That means
16:49there will be lines out the door, and if you have a serious health event and need to
16:54get in, you better get used to waiting a long time. This is not how a health system is
17:02supposed to run. And in Rhode Island, our health system is already on the brink. People are just
17:11getting by. People are waiting in the hallways of ERs for a bed upstairs. People are spending
17:17days on the phone trying to find a doctor. We should be making these things better, not worse.
17:23But again, Republicans' main priority seems not the physical or financial health of everyday
17:33Americans. It is providing massive tax cuts to President Trump's billionaire and millionaire
17:39friends. There's certainly nothing wrong with being successful, and there's nothing wrong with wealth.
17:46That's something that has been part of the American dream since our beginning. But what it requires
17:55is opportunity. And one of the fundamental opportunities it requires is good health and good education.
18:05And what this bill will do is destroy our health care system and force the states to make dramatic cuts
18:13to the education system. We are shutting down opportunity in America while we enrich the wealthy elite.
18:25The American dream, as I believe it, is about the middle class and a government that's focused on them,
18:32not taking one trillion dollars from Medicaid so Republicans can gift to those who've already benefited
18:40benefited from many other gifts. Mr. President, let's put the enormity of this transfer to the
18:48wealthiest in perspective. There are about 128 million households in America. Yet somehow this bill
18:57gives the top one-tenth of one percent of households a $250,000 tax cut, a giveaway that's over three times larger
19:09than what the median American household makes in a year. When confronted with this point, Republicans consistently
19:19try to hide the ball. Middle and working class Americans are getting tax cuts too, they say. Who cares if the rich
19:27gets richer? Well, the Senate bill raises taxes on the lowest income Americans. The same families from whom Republicans are
19:37are ripping away health care and other benefits. While we are voting on this bill without a full analysis of its impact on
19:44households, the Congressional Budget Office found that the House-passed version would take around $1,600 away from
19:54these lowest-income households each year after accounting for tax changes and benefit cuts. And it's not just low-income Americans.
20:03Researchers at Penn's Wharton School of Business have found that most Americans lose money under the House bill in
20:12future years, too. I want to be crystal clear. We need to reform our tax-care system. We need to make it fairer for working Americans,
20:22not just for the ultra-wealthy. We hear from people so often that government is broken. They're right. Our tax system is unfair and needs reform. But giving the top one-tenth of one percent of Americans an extra quarter of a million dollars every year is not fixing the government. It's just adding to the sense of unfairness and brokenness that so many citizens feel.
20:49We can do a bipartisan tax bill that is both fully paid for and that helps average Americans. In fact, we almost did that last summer. When the House passed the tax bill 357 to 70 that would have extended the child tax credit and reinstated tax cuts for businesses without increasing the deficit.
21:16Forty-eight bipartisan senators voted for that bill in this very chamber. But it was blocked because Republican leaders wanted to pass something like this bill before us today. My Republican colleagues have drafted a bill that is neither paid for nor helps most Americans.
21:37Worse of all, they have chosen to take from the poor and the middle class and the working class to give to billionaires. This bill is very bad policy. It's almost un-American if you believe that the essence of America, as expressed by one of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was to give every person a fair chance in the race of life.
22:05This bill denies that chance to millions and millions of Americans while enhancing and filling the pockets of the wealthiest. And I oppose it. I yield the floor.
