Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Republicans' “We’re All Going To Die” Act
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor, dubbing the Republicans’ so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” the “We’re All Going To Die” Act, in reference to comments made by Senator Ernst (R-IA), and warned that the legislation would devastate Medicaid and strip health care coverage from as many as 16 million Americans, according to the latest CBO report. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:
I thank my colleague, Senator Welch, the great Senator from Vermont, for shining a spotlight on Donald Trump and the Republicans’ attack on health care in their so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Let’s be honest about what the Republicans’ bill really is: it’s repeal and replace by another name. Not one fell swoop, but death by a thousand paper cuts.
They’re afraid to say they want to kill health care, Medicaid, the ACA. So instead, they put so many barriers in the way that, in effect, they do the same thing. They're doing the same with Social Security.
We’ve all heard how this bill will devastate Medicaid. It’s the largest cut in history.
Every day you learn more about this bill, it gets worse.
It includes over one trillion – one trillion dollars – in health care cuts.
Cuts to the ACA. Even cuts to Medicare. We've been learning that Medicare will be hurt as well by the sequestration.
And today, when we didn't think it could get worse with this “Big, Ugly Bill,” it sure did.
The CBO just announced their bill will kick millions more people off their health care than we originally thought, not only by attacking Medicaid, but by crippling the ACA, private insurance, and even Medicare, now.
Yesterday, it was 13.7 million people who would lose coverage.
Today, it’s as high as 16 million. And you know, that’s a big number, 16 million. It’s families. It’s people who need health care, people whose kids might have cancer and they're desperate to get something done.
It’s the elderly, who are paying so much for medicine that they can't afford to go to a doctor to see if the medicine is working.
It’s families who are just starting out, and maybe someone lost his or her job.
Yep, 16 million – but that's each person, a family, a group.
The more you look at the House bill, the worse it gets.
Enrollment times shortened by an entire month.
Wait times will be longer for everyone at the hospital.
Twenty two million people – 22 million people – could see their average premium go up by an average of 93%.
Small business owners, 3.3 million, will see their premiums skyrocket.
Hospitals, nursing homes, health centers all at risk.
I've been at nursing homes in many parts of my state. Guess what? They're all afraid they're going to close. Sixty to 70 percent of their income is Medicaid. That's how they take care of the elderly, and those people will lose their coverage and be forced to leave because the nursing home will close.
Well, how about those 45-year-old couples with three kids, no extra room in the house, mom has to come back because she's got no place to go? There won't be adequate health care there at home.
And job loss – job loss on this “Big, Ugly Bill,” this betrayal. Eight hundred thousand will lose their jobs in health care alone. Another 800,000 in clean energy. Many, many more, millions are losing their jobs.
I don't know how the economists would think, but if you lose two million jobs, if that's the case, you're right on the edge of a recession, if not in one.
And despite all this, Donald Trump still has the gall to lie and say that his bill wouldn’t harm Americans’ health care. He says, “nobody will lose coverage.”
Ladies and gentlemen, people of America, Donald Trump is lying.
The bill will kick people off their health care coverage.
It will slash health care benefits.
It will close rural hospitals.
People will get sicker and die.
What did the junior Senator from Iowa say? “Well, we’re all going to die.”
How about the junior Senator from Louisiana? “I’m not worried about people losing their healthcare.”
It shows the callousness of the Republican senators when it comes to health care. They don’t seem to care. They seem to say, tough luck.
Republicans should forget calling this thing their “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
You know what the new name for this bill is? A more suitable name? The “We're All Going To Die” Act.
Because that just about sums up how callous they’re being with the American people.
For many Americans, health care is the difference between life and death.
Democrats will fight this bill with everything we’ve got. The American people deserve to know the truth.
And one more point, I would say to my colleagues: Donald Trump is selling you, Republican colleagues, a bill of goods.
“It's not going to hurt anybody.” Don't believe his false words.
Because when you vote for this bill, the effects will actually occur, and the public will realize what you have done. So, don't let Donald Trump sell you a bill of goods. We know he makes things up out of the clear blue all the time. He's doing it now.
When he calls you in and tells you that no one is going to be hurt, no one is going to lose coverage, you know that's a crock of you know what. I can't say it here.
Don't listen to him. Because your constituents will pay an awful price, in health care, and they will know you did it.
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