American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after Sen. Ron Johnson outlined exactly why regular order should be chosen over the current frantic, reckless approach to passing a health care bill that America’s doctors, hospitals, and countless other nonpartisan medical experts are warning would cost millions of Americans their healthcare and slam Americans with preexisting conditions:
“Senator Johnson’s blueprint for what should happen if this Trumpcare bill fails is precisely what Senate Republicans should have done years ago – and it’s not too late to prevent a train-wreck of their own making. If Senate Republicans actually held hearings and worked in a bipartisan fashion, they would learn a great deal from the overwhelming majority of Americans who want them to improve the Affordable Care Act and abandon Trumpcare. They ought to take that approach instead of forcing this bill upon the country despite objections from countless experts and healthcare officials.”
VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT:
JONATHAN SCOTT: What about Senator McCain? I mean, there are a number, as I said, of your fellow Republican Senators who are opposed to this. Senator McCain’s beef seems to be that the bill hasn’t had the kinds of public and committee hearings that normal legislation, in his view, should take. How do you answer that?
SEN. RON JOHNSON: Well again, if we don’t pass it this week – and again, I want to pass it this week, that’s what I recommend; this is a real action-forcing piece of legislation.
But if we can’t do it, well, I think we should hold hearings.
We should have a very robust discussion, debate, about here is the problem, then we go through a problem-solving process.
Lay out the information to find the problems – the problem or the problems – gather the information, and then set achievable goals. Then start designing legislation to achieve those goals to solve the problem.