Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the 116th Congress
Floor Speech
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Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I am struggling to understand what we are doing here today. We already know that the Democrats go to great lengths to defend the unconstitutional Affordable Care Act.
They really believe that Congress can and should force the American people to buy something, whether they want it or not. We know this because they made everyone vote on this same provision in title I of the rules package last week. Now we are here voting on the same thing this week.
``Why?'' some Americans may ask. Because Democrats are trying to sell this farce as a vote to protect people with preexisting conditions.
But this is not a healthcare vote. This is a vote to give cover because the law they passed was unconstitutional, and the individual mandate was deeply unpopular.
They could put an end to this by passing a law that abides by the Constitution, but they are not willing to do that. Instead, we are wasting time here today voting on something for the second time.
Republicans know that we can protect the people with preexisting health conditions without infringing on basic freedoms. This is why, last week, we voted on an amendment to the rules package to guarantee no American citizen can be denied health insurance coverage as a result of a preexisting condition.
I voted to ensure that no American citizen can be charged a higher premium or cost sharing as a result of a preexisting condition.
But the majority would rather spend time and taxpayer money defending the constitutionality of the ACA's individual mandate. They seem to have forgotten that the Supreme Court told them, back in 2012, that Congress does not have the power to make the American people purchase a product.
The Democrats should not spend more taxpayer money defending the indefensible.
Congress should focus its energy on making healthcare more affordable and giving people meaningful choice in healthcare again.
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