Transcripts For CSPAN2 US Senate 20151204

The presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, on this vote, the yeas are 54, the nays are 45. Under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to. Mr. Enzi mr. President . The presiding officer the senator wyoming. Mr. Enzi mr. President , i call up amendment number 2916. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from wyoming, mr. Enzi, for mr. Mcconnell, proposes amendment numbered 2916 to amendment number 2874. Mr. Enzi i ask that further reading be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. The senator from washington. Mrs. Murray over the last several years our country has taken some important steps forward when it comes to health care. More than 16 Million People have gained the peace of mind and security that comes with having health care coverage. Tens of millions of people with preexisting conditions no longer have to worry about Insurance Companies turning them away. Young adults in our country are able to stay covered under their parents insurance, as they start out in life. So much more. You go as ive said many times, the work does not end when the Affordable Care act passed. Far from it. I am ready to continue working with anyone who has good ideas about how to continue making health care more affordable, he expanding coverage and improving quality of care. Unfortunately, with this latest tired political effort to dismantle Critical Health care reforms, my republican colleagues are once again making clear they want to take our Health Care System back to the bad ol days. Mr. President , the senate is not in order. The presiding officer the senate will be in order. Mrs. Murray mr. President , this is a major substitute amendment that my republican colleagues just offered. It is yet another effort to pander to the extreme Political Base rather than working with us to strengthen health care for our families. Even the parliamentarian agreed with us today that repealing these important premium stabilization programs does not have a sufficient budget impact and is subject to the byrd rule. So i am raising a point of order today to strike section 105b from the amendment, which repeals the risk program. It is a Vital Program to make sure premiums are affordable and stable for our working families. Repealing it would result in increased premiums, more uninsured, and less competition in the market. This amendment represents a step forward for our Health Care System, not backward. And i hope republicans drop the politics and join us in supporting it. Mr. President , i raise a point of order that section 105b of thed pending amendment viemghtses section 313b1d of the congress allege budget act of 1974. The presiding officer the senator from florida. Mr. Rubio thank you, mr. President. The premium stabilization is a fancy term for bailout. What it basically seeks to strike out is a provision that takes out the money for a bailout fund, for taxpayer money that would be used to bail out Insurance Companies that participate in obamacare. Why should the american taxpayer have to bail out private Insurance Companies who are losing money on obamacare . Last year because we passed this provision we saved the american taxpayers 2. 5 billion, but now because these companies have lobbyists that come up heard and they lobby to get their money, were supposed to leave in this fund to bail out private Insurance Companies. This is outrageous. If you want to be involved in the exchanges, which of course i want us to repeal the whole law, but if you want to be involved in the exchanges and you lose money shall the american taxpayer should not have to bail out to the tune of over 2 billion. And that is what theyre asking for and thats why, mr. President , pursuant to section 094 of the congressional budget act of 1974 and the waiver provisions of applicable budget provisions, i move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for purposes of amendment number 2916, and i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The question is on the motion to waive. The clerk will call the roll. Vote vote the presiding officer any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, on this vote, the yeas are 52, the nays are 47. Threefifths of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. The point of order is sustained motion is not agreed to. The point of order of order is sustained and section 105b is stricken. Mr. Reid mr. President . The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Reid ask the clerk to report amendment number 2917. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from nevada, mr. Reid, proposes an amendment numbered 2917 to amendment numbered 2916. In section 209, strike subsection c. Mr. Reid mr. President . The presiding officer the senate will be in order. Mr. President , theres no shortage of contradictions today from my republican friends. The First Amendment was called quote if you like what you have, you can keep it. A couple hours later, the same republicans came back and voted to strip the health care for 22 million americans. In one of the few bipartisan moments today, 90 senators voted to remove a provision that would restart the cadillac tax in 2025. Yet minutes later, the republican leader offered the pending substitute amendment to put that provision back in. Do they really believe those who oppose the cadillac tax will not recognize that they voted with them and then immediately reversed themselves and voted against them . Im offering chem a chance to them a chance to correct the record. My amendment will again remove the provision that restarts the cadillac tax in 2025. I urge all senators, particularly the 90 who just voted yes, to support this amendment. Mr. Enzi mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Enzi mr. President , i appreciate the senior senator from nevada protecting the bipartisan amendment that was put forward by the junior senator from nevada to make sure that that stays in the bill. And so i would suggest that we have a voice vote. The presiding officer is there further debate . If not, all in favor say aye. All opposed say no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The amendment is agreed to. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from wisconsin. Ms. Baldwin i call up amendment 2919. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from wisconsin, ms. Baldwin, proposes an amendment numbered 2919 to amendment numbered ms. Baldwin i ask that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Baldwin mr. President , i rise to speak in support of my amendment. The presiding officer the senate will be in order. Ms. Baldwin thank you, mr. President. I rise to speak in support of my amendment to allow families in wisconsin and across the country to keep their highquality, Affordable Health insurance under the Affordable Care act. My republican friends want to repeal the Affordable Care act and turn back the clock to the days when the healthy and wealthy could only only the healthy and wealthy could afford the luxury of quality Health Insurance. The plan before us would strip millions of americans of their premium tax credits and take away new medicaid coverage for thousands of people across this country. My amendment is simple. It would prevent republicans from taking away these tax credits and medicaid for millions of lowincome america americans. Thanks to the Affordable Care act, over 183,000 wisconsinites, hardworking wisconsinites, have obtained quality, affordable private Health Insurance coverage through the marketpla marketplace. Almost 90 of these wisconsinites are receiving support to make their coverage more affordable. The presiding officer the senators time has expired. Ms. Baldwin i ask unanimous consent for 10 more seconds. The presiding officer without objection. Ms. Baldwin americans deserve to know their coverage will be there when they need it the most. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment because in the United States of america, health care should be a right guaranteed to all, not a privilege reserved for the few. Mr. Enzi mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Enzi i urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. This amendment would exempt individuals eligible for advanced premium tax credits from the larger tax credit repeal in the bill. As a matter of policy and fairness, i do not believe that just because an individual is eligible for an advancable tax credit they should be exempt from the larger repeal. I also reject the repeated attempt to pay for this amendment by increasing taxes on hardworking americans. So i urge my colleagues to oppose this message. I yield back my time. But, mr. President , the pending amendment number 2919 would cause the underlying legislation to exceed the authorizing committees 302a allocation of new Budget Authority or outlays. Therefore, i raise a point of order against this measure pursuant to section 302f of the congressional budget act of 1974. Ms. Baldwin ms. Baldwin mr. President , pursuant to section 904 of the congressional budget act of 1974, i move to waive all applicable sections of that act for the purposes of the pending amendment, and i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There is. The clerk will call the roll. Vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, on this vote, the yeas are 45, the nays are 54. Threefifths of the senators dual chosensworn not having duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. The point of order is sustained and the amendment fails. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from connecticut. Mr. Murphy mr. President , i would call up amendment number 2918. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk the senator from connecticut, mr. Murphy, for himself and miss stabenow, proposes an amendment numbered 2918 to amendment numbered 2916. Mr. Murphy mr. President , i ask that further reading be dispensed with. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Murphy thank you, mr. President. When president clinton proposed his Health Care Reform bill in 1993, republicans were so upset that they came up with a radical idea. This radical idea was to give tax droits people tax credits to people, poor people to buy private insurance, to set up an Insurance Exchange where they could do that, to ban preexisting conditions and to include an individual mandate. In short, the Affordable Care act built by republicans. Many of them still in this chamber today. At the heart of that proposal was the idea that people should get a tax cut in order to be able to buy private insurance. At the heart of the underlying republican amendment is a gutting of that ability of individuals to go out and buy private insurance for themselves. This amendment is pretty simple. It says, at the very least, we can come together on the idea that we should preserve those tax credits for the most vulnerable, for pregnant women, for victims of domestic violence, for people suffering from heart disease, cancer and alzheimers. At the very least, we can come together and decide to protect those tax credits. A republican idea at the genesis for those vulnerable individuals. I urge passage of the amendment. Mr. Enzi mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from wyoming. Mr. Enzi i urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. Under obamacare, Health Insurance plans are decreasing, theyre narrower, theyre giving sick individuals fewer choices and fewer options over their health care. Repealing obamacare is the first step in moving towards health care thats better for all americans, including senators murphy and stabenow intend to help. This amendment also again proposes the buffett tax, taxing foreign inversion corporations as domestic and expanding limitations on executive compensation deductibility. I believe the problem with washingtons finances is that our government spends too much and lives outside its means. Im continually working to put our countrys finances on the sustainable path so that more americans can keep more of their hardearned money. We dont need higher taxes. I urge my colleagues to oppose the upcoming motion to waive. I would yield back my time and, mr. President , the pending amendment number 2918 would cause the underlying legislation to exceed the authorizing committees 302a allocation of new Budget Authority or outlays. Therefore, i raise a point of order against this measure pursuant to section 302f of the congressional budget act of 1974. Mr. Murphy mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from connecticut. Mr. Murphy mr. President , pursuant to section 904 of the congressional budget act of 1974, i move to way all applicable move to waive all applicable sections of that for the purposes of this amendment. And i ask for the yeas and nays. The presiding officer is there a sufficient second . There appears to be. The clerk will call the roll. Quoruvote vote