Ron Wyden Asked How Dems Can Force Republicans To The Table To Extend ACA Credits

At a Senate Democratic press briefing on Wednesday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) spoke about working with Republicans.

Transcript

00:00One tough act to follow and we've got just a couple of minutes because we've got some votes

00:07going on and I just want to make one last point and then we'll take some questions and let's give

00:14Senator Shaheen a big round of applause. She's leading the fight. Fair enough. One last point

00:23and we'll take some questions and my colleague and I will both be available for a couple.

00:27The clock is running out. It says quarter to twelve out there but for purposes of our business

00:36open enrollment starts in November. That's just a few months. It's a couple of barbecues in the summer

00:44and then it's November and Americans are going to be in for sticker shock when they go to review

00:50their health insurance without the ideas that you heard my colleagues talking about. So this is not

00:58some abstract thing that my good friend from the finance committee, he's a little bit down there

01:03towards the end but he always asks the best questions. We didn't make this up. These notices

01:10are going out in November folks, not two years from now. So the stakes are really high. Feel free

01:17to give me a softball question. I guess that's one of the perks of seniority. Anything hard

01:22to my buddy but we're going to have to go up and vote here in a minute. Are there any questions? Laura?

01:26I just want to ask about the ACA credits. It could be a real fight with Republicans. There are Republicans

01:34who don't want to extend the credits or they're talking about it's too expensive or it goes to too high

01:40income levels. So what's the strategy to force them to the table and should it be part of the government

01:45funding? Laura, we have always said we'll work with anybody who wants to do the right thing for

01:53people. As you know, I wrote a book about it. You know, it's like chutzpah, grit and determination.

01:59Here is the state of play as of this morning. I am the ranking Democrat in the finance committee where

02:05the two of us serve and there has been no evidence to date as of right now that Senate Republican

02:14leadership is interested in a serious bipartisan health care discussion. I have not heard from any

02:23of the senior Republican leadership, but we want to help people. That's what the congressman and I are

02:30always in the business of trying to do. So when I emphasize that, but the state of play

02:36as of today with a couple of days before, apparently there's going to be a work period,

02:43there is no evidence from the senior Republican leadership that they want to do anything bipartisan.

02:50And I just told you, this is not going to be just Medicaid folks. People across this country of all ages

02:57are going to feel like they've been hit by a healthcare wrecking ball. So we want to get results.

03:04One last question. Then we're going to have to zip. Okay, everybody. Um, we're running out. If you

03:09got to grab the congressman and I, we got to go vote. Thank you so much, particularly thanks to the

03:15little lobbyists. Thanks to the wonderful folks who are caring for generations. It sounds like my

03:21great, great, great Panther group when I was coming up. God bless y'all. Thanks everybody.