'It's All A Lie!:' Andy Kim & Eric Schmitt Spar Over Big Beautiful Bill Home Healthcare Amendment

Forbes Breaking News

During a vote on the Senate floor Tuesday, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) debated an amendment on the Big Beautiful Bill.

Transcript

00:00and has not agreed to.

00:09Mr. President, I ask to clarify,

00:12for colleagues' benefit, I ask unanimous consent

00:14that the remaining votes be 10 minutes in length.

00:17Without objection.

00:20Mr. President.

00:22Senator from New Jersey.

00:23I call up my amendment 2817

00:26and ask that it be reported by number.

00:28The clerk will report.

00:31The senator from New Jersey, Mr. Kim,

00:34proposes amendment number 2817

00:36to amendment number 2360.

00:39Mr. President, I rise today

00:41because every single one of us in this chamber

00:43knows someone who relies on home

00:45and community-based service workers

00:47to maintain their quality of life.

00:50Maybe they're someone with a disability

00:51who needs an aide to help with essential tasks.

00:55Maybe they're a senior

00:56who requires a home health worker

00:58to keep them safe and healthy.

01:00Maybe they're a constituent you've met

01:02or a family member you love.

01:04All of them are dependent on someone

01:06who works hard every day because they care.

01:10We owe them the same level care

01:12they give to those we love.

01:14That's why, that's what this amendment does.

01:16It strikes language that makes it harder

01:18for them to advocate for their own pay

01:20and conditions by adding the burden

01:22of needless red tape.

01:24It strikes language that makes it harder for them

01:26to ensure that they can provide

01:28the best care possible.

01:30Mr. President, the Bureau of Labor Statistics

01:32estimates that the number of home health

01:34and personal care aides

01:35will increase by more than 20%,

01:37nearly 1 million people by 2033.

01:41Millions of people will be working

01:43to help those we care about the most.

01:45I urge my colleagues to pass this amendment

01:47and stand with those who serve

01:49the people who need it most.

01:50I yield back.

01:51Mr. President.

01:52Senator Missouri.

01:54Thank you, Mr. President.

01:54I'm proud that this provision,

01:56this breakthrough provision,

01:57has been included in the big, beautiful bill.

01:59This will provide much-needed relief

02:01for individuals with disabilities

02:02who've waited far too long

02:04to be on waiting lists to receive services.

02:07There's been a backlog,

02:08and this will help clear it up

02:09to the tune of billions of dollars.

02:11My colleague's amendment

02:13would completely undermine

02:14this very important effort.

02:16Ripping out important transparency

02:18and accountability provisions

02:19will divert intended resources

02:22for those who need it most

02:23in order to pay off

02:25public sector unions along the way.

02:27That's all this is.

02:29Medicaid exists to serve our patients.

02:31I've heard a lot from my Democrat colleagues

02:33about cutting benefits.

02:34It's all a lie.

02:36They're about to vote

02:37to cut off important benefits

02:40for the most vulnerable among us.

02:42So I'm tired of the lectures.

02:43This is actually a provision that does it.

02:46They're about to vote no.

02:47I encourage my colleagues

02:49to vote no on this amendment,

02:50which again is nothing more

02:51than a political payoff

02:52for public sector unions

02:54and takes money away

02:55from the most vulnerable among us.

02:58Questions on the amendment?

03:00Mr. President,

03:01I ask for the ayes and nays.

03:02Is there a sufficient second?

03:04There appears to be.

03:06Clerk will call the roll.

03:07Ms. Osterbrooks.

03:08Ms. Baldwin.

03:11Aye.

03:11Mr. Banks.

03:13Mr. Barrasso.

03:15No.

03:16Mr. Bennett.

03:18Aye.

03:19Mrs. Blackburn.

03:20No.

03:21Mr. Blumenthal.

03:23Aye.

03:24Ms. Blunt-Rochester.

03:25Aye.

03:26Mr. Booker.

03:28Mr. Bozeman.

03:32Mrs. Britt.

03:36Mr. Budd.

03:41Ms. Cantwell.

03:43Aye.

03:43Mrs. Capito.

03:45No.

03:46Mr. Cassidy.

03:47I got you.

03:49Ms. Collins.

03:54Mr. Kins.

03:55Aye.

04:00Oh.

04:00No.

04:10Mr. Cornyn.

04:10No.

04:11Miss Cortez Masto.

04:15Mr. Carten.

04:19Mr. Kramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Daines,

04:49Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Fetterman,

05:00Mrs. Fisher, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand,

05:12Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Haggerty,

05:33Mr. Hassen, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper,

05:46Ms. Hirono, Mr. Hoven, Mr. Husted,

06:00Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Justice, Mr. Kane,

06:13Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kim, Mr. King,

06:27Mr. Klobuchar, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, Mr. Lujan,

06:44Ms. Lummis, Mr. Markey, Mr. Marshall,

06:52Mr. McConnell, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Merkley,

06:57Mrs. Moody, Mr. Moran, Mr. Marino,

07:02Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Murphy,

07:21Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla,

07:27Mr. Paul, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Mr. Ricketts,

07:34Mr. Risch, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds,

07:42Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff,

07:48Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Scott of Florida,

08:00Mr. Scott of South Carolina,

08:03Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Sheehee,

08:07Ms. Slotkin,

08:11Ms. Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Thune,

08:27Mr. Tillis,

08:30Mr. Timberville, Mr. Van Hollen,

08:43Mr. Warner, Mr. Warnock,

08:48Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch,

08:51Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wicker,

08:55Mr. Wicker,

08:59Mr. Wyden,

09:01Mr. Young,

09:25Mr. Senators voting in the affirmative.

09:28Also Brooks, Baldwin, Bennett,

09:31Blumenthal, Blunt Rochester, Booker,

09:33Cantwell, Coons, Cortez Masto,

09:36Duckworth, Durbin, Fetterman,

09:38Gallego, Gillibrand,

09:40Hassan, Heinrich, Hickenlooper,

09:42Hirono, Kane, Kelly,

09:45Kim, King, Klobuchar,

09:48Kim, King, Lujan, Markey,

09:52Merkley, Murphy,

09:54Murray,

09:55Ossoff,

09:56Padilla,

09:57Peters,

09:58Reed,

09:59Rosen,

10:00Sanders,

10:01Schiff,

10:02Slotkin,

10:03Smith,

10:04Van Hollen,

10:05Warner,

10:06Warnock,

10:07Warren,

10:08Welch,

10:09Whitehouse,

10:10and Wyden.

10:11Mrs. Shaheen, aye.

10:12Senators voting in the negative.

10:15Banks,

10:16Barrasso,

10:17Blackburn,

10:18Britt,

10:19Bud,

10:20Capito,

10:21Kramer,

10:22Cruz,

10:23Curtis,

10:24Ernst,

10:25Fisher,

10:26Grassley,

10:27Hagerty,

10:28Hawley,

10:29Husted,

10:30Hyde-Smith,

10:31Johnson,

10:32Justice,

10:33Lankford,

10:34Lee,

10:35Lemmis,

10:36Marshall,

10:37McConnell,

10:38McCormick,

10:39Moody,

10:40Moran,

10:41Marino,

10:42Paul,

10:43Ricketts,

10:44Risch,

10:45Rounds,

10:46Schmitt,

10:47Scotta Florida,

10:48Sheehy,

10:49Sullivan,

10:50Klobuchar,

10:51Aye.

10:55Scott,

10:56Mr. Scott of South Carolina,

10:57No.

10:58Mr. Cotton,

10:59No.

11:01No.

11:02I appreciate it.

11:31Ms. Murkowski,

11:32Aye.

11:33Ms. Murkowski,

11:34Aye.

11:36Ms. Murkowski,

11:37Aye.

11:38Ms. Murkowski,

11:39Aye.

11:40Ms. Murkowski,

11:41Aye.

11:43Ms. Murkowski,

11:45Aye.

11:46Ms. Murkowski,

11:47Aye.

11:48Ms. Murkowski,

11:49Aye.

11:50Ms. Murkowski,

11:51Mrs. Murkowski,

11:52Aye.

12:23Mr. Graham, no.

12:31Ms. Collins, no.

12:34Mr. Mullen, no.

12:38Mr. Thune, no.

12:49Mr. Schumer, aye.

12:52Mr. Kennedy, no.

13:09Mr. Hoven, no.

13:13Mr. Schatz, aye.

13:23Mr. Danes, no.

13:28Mr. Crapo, no.

13:53Mr. Bozeman, no.

14:10Mr. Bahrain, no.

15:29On this vote, the yeas are 48, the nays are 52.

15:44The amendment is not agreed to.

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