WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed the Senate Republican leadership’s efforts to draft its health care repeal bill in secret, bypass the American people by refusing to hold any hearings on the legislation, and force a vote next week. Durbin noted that the vast majority of Republicans as well as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price have no idea what is in the bill, and he urged Republican senators not involved in drafting the legislation to join calls for an open debate.
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“[W]e still don't have the text of the Republican secret bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act... By congressional standards, this is a high crime and misdemeanor. To think that we are going to consider a bill within ten days affecting every American, affecting one-sixth of the American economy, a bill that will say to some people, ‘you are going to lose your health insurance,’ and to others, ‘we're going to offer you a health insurance policy that really isn't worth the paper it's written on,’ and we haven't seen the bill?”Durbin said. “Three. That’s the number of Republican senators needed to stop this. Surely there are three Republican senators who are concerned enough about this secret, behind-closed-doors process that we're witnessing when it comes to rewriting health care in America.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
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