Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman is correct. This is a critical area and one that we do want to make sure we speak with one voice and a bipartisan voice. I have spoken to the committee chairman. He is continuing to work on this. And I anticipate, not next week but in the future, that coming to the floor.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding. That is true. I want to thank the gentleman even for his comments earlier in the week. I know they might not have been the same comments as the rest on the other side of the aisle. It was our anticipation that we would not have to do a continuing resolution. I do believe that the committee is very close. It is the intention of the committee to get to an agreement. I hoped to get to an agreement as early as today, knowing that we do want to provide to the Members the 3 days so they can read through the entire bill and that we can vote on this before the end of this short-term CR.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, May 1, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday the House will meet at noon for morning-hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning- hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. On Friday, no votes are expected in the House. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business tomorrow. In addition, the House will consider several bipartisan measures from the Committee on Financial Services that will create jobs and support American entrepreneurship. First, H.R. 1343, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act, sponsored by Representative Randy Hultgren, which will open up more opportunities for employees to share a stake in the companies they work for every day. Next, H.R. 1219, the Supporting America's Innovators Act, sponsored by Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry. This bill will increase access to capital for America's small businesses and startups and ensure our entrepreneurs have the best chance to succeed. Mr. McHenry's bill is also a key component of our Innovation Initiative in the House, which aims to accelerate private sector innovation and leverage more innovation in government. Finally, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible, and I will relay scheduling information to Members if any items are added.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding again. I was encouraged by the bipartisan agreements we reached on the MILCON/VA bill and the defense appropriations bill. As you know, together, these two bills make up roughly one half of our total discretionary spending. However, I was disappointed to hear that Democrats have apparently walked away from the negotiating table on further bipartisan agreements like these. Personally, I was disappointed to hear rumors that Democrats are hoping for a government shutdown. The New York Times is reporting that, ``as a minority party struggling to show resistance in the era of President Trump''-- Democrats--``are now ready to let the lights of government go dark.'' I sincerely hope these rumors and reports are not true. I know the gentleman disagrees with ever having a government shutdown. As I mentioned, discussions are ongoing about how to ensure the government is funded after April 28. I want everybody to know that my door is always open, especially to you, my friend from Maryland, and any other House colleague who wants to play a constructive role in the process. I firmly believe the government will not shut down. It will be funded as we continue further.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Discussions are ongoing about the appropriations process and how to ensure the government is funded after April 28. I thank my good friend from Maryland for being a good faith negotiating partner in this effort. I do not currently anticipate floor action next week. But as always, I will advise Members as soon as possible when action is scheduled in the House.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. The gentleman does know, from the widespread disagreement, that ObamaCare is failing. He disagrees with that, but the majority of Americans agree that it is collapsing and that we have to solve this problem. As of today, I do not have anything scheduled for next week. But as we continue discussions with our Members as we move forward, I anticipate in the future that we would have that vote.

Mr. McCARTHY. That is correct.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, April 3, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. It is our anticipation to be done in the afternoon, but the gentleman may know better how long it will take based upon as we move through during the day.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Members are advised that votes are now expected in the House tomorrow, March 24, 2017. I know this is a change from our previously announced schedule. Members should be prepared for multiple vote series, the first of which will be as early as 10 a.m.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. The Rules Committee will meet tomorrow morning. I anticipate a short amendment will be posted as early as tonight. It is our expectation the Rules Committee will meet tomorrow morning to report the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act. Upon adoption of that rule, the House will proceed with general debate on the measure and final passage.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I anticipate the Rules Committee meeting earlier than 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I don't want to grab the exact time, but it is our anticipation, after the Rules Committee meets, that we come down and have a rules vote. We will have hours of debate, and then we will proceed with the vote, and as orderly as we can get done, we will get done by the afternoon as early as possible.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I ask if he would let me finish through.

Mr. McCARTHY. But you are not willing to help with it, then?

Mr. McCARTHY. There will be no upsets.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And his question, based upon scheduling, and I know there were a lot of questions in there, so please let me work through and try to answer all of his questions. The last question was in regard to the bill itself, and we are working through the process. It will be in the Rules Committee. As the legislative process works, there are always ways that you refine the bill, and I expect that there will be some elements that get refined inside the Rules Committee before it comes to the floor. You had about five different questions there if I may follow all the way through. First, you talked about, and I was happy to hear--I wrote it down--you are glad to work to help to improve the bill--because when we were in the more than 26 hours of Energy and Commerce, the amendments the Democrats offered, we spent a couple of hours on just the one amendment about a hashtag of renaming the bill. So there is a change in attitude. I appreciate that from the other side of the aisle because we are always willing to work with you.

Mr. McCARTHY. It seems as though the gentleman has a little short- term memory of how they brought the Affordable Care Act and the CBO report when it came before us. It was not brought before us until it came right before the floor. But let me follow through on all your questions because my response back was, I was actually excited to hear that Democrats wanted to work with us, that their attitude has changed from when we were in committee and they had amendments going forward, that it was no longer going to be hashtag amendments, it was actually going to be productive amendments; and I thank you for having that change of attitude. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the transparent process we have taken in the House, and I think this needs to be reminded to all the American public. As I mentioned last week, our healthcare bill is the result of 113 hearings. I know the gentleman on the other side of the aisle, he is proud of the 72 hearings they had before they did the Affordable Care Act. We have now marked up this bill in three separate committees, with over 18 hours of debate in Ways and Means, and over 27 hours of debate in Energy and Commerce, and the countless amendments from both Republicans and Democrats. By the time we vote on the floor, this bill will have been publicly available online for 3 weeks. Now, it is only 127 pages. That is a far contrast to the 2,700-plus pages, if you want to compare it to ObamaCare. So far, nearly 590,000 people have visited our website, and over 200,000 have downloaded this legislative text. So, Mr. Speaker, that means more people have read our healthcare bill than went to Woodstock. I call that transparency. Republicans have been committed to repealing and replacing ObamaCare for years, and so now I think it is time to act. The gentleman also commented about the CBO. Well, I am actually excited that you had another person who confirmed what the CBO said because what the CBO says about this bill is it will lower the deficit by $337 billion. It will also reduce premiums by 10 percent by 2026, and it will secure major entitlement reform by capping Medicaid spending, giving States certainty and flexibility, saving taxpayers $880 billion, and making the program solvent for future generations, because that was a concern in one of the letters. Now, Mr. Speaker, those are the facts. With regard to the coverage numbers, the CBO reports that most of that increase would stem from repealing the penalties associated with individual mandates. Let me repeat that. Most of the increase would stem from repealing the penalties associated with the individual mandate. Now, that makes sense to me, because if we no longer force Americans to buy something they do not want, one-size-fits-all health care, they will naturally choose not to buy it. But, Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman across the other side of the aisle argues with me about the knowledge that everybody knows ObamaCare is failing. I would ask the gentleman to visit one-third of the counties in this country that only have one option. Or why don't you go to Tennessee, where the President just was because, you know, 16 counties in Tennessee have no option. But ObamaCare will penalize you for not having health care when you can't even buy it. But if ObamaCare was working so well, why do more people accept the penalty or the exemption than actually buy ObamaCare? That is a number that is quite interesting. That is why I am encouraged to see our plan will decrease the average premiums that people have been asking for. Now, our goal is not just to sign up people for insurance. Our goal is to get America better health care. Now, the gentleman also commented and had letters--and I love to read letters. I love to listen to constituents because that is what our work should be. And you read a letter when it came to Medicaid. And I would not scare people, I would actually talk to that individual. Medicaid is on an unsustainable path. In one 10-year window, it will cost $1 trillion. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman on the other side knows what $1 trillion is because that is about the entire amount we spend on discretionary spending. From all of the appropriations that we go through, that would take up everything we have. Well, we know that is not sustainable, so we should do something about it. That is why we had a meeting with 18 Governors, Republicans and Democrats. And the number one thing they told us, give us flexibility to be able to manage. That is exactly what this bill does. But I like to read some letters. Here is one from Colleen from Annapolis: I just received the notice for my 2017 health insurance policy. It will skyrocket, not by the advertised Maryland State average of 20 to 25 percent but, rather, by 60 percent. In addition, my deductible is going up 45 percent. Since the inception of ObamaCare, my policy has increased 75 percent. I am a 63-year-old female in excellent health who takes no medication. My only benefit from the ACA has been two mammograms, which I paid $12,600 in premiums to get. What a disaster of a program. I will be voting Republican this year, in the hope of finally getting the ACA repealed. I just hope it happens before my checkbook goes on life support. Or the letter to the editor from Carl in Lusby, Maryland: I can't afford my health insurance now under ObamaCare. It's been a burden on our joint income, which is just above the limit for qualifying for subsidies; and for 2017, I am facing a 61 percent rate increase. I'm faced with either paying a premium that will bankrupt me and my wife, or paying the tax penalty at the end of the year, which will also be unaffordable. And there are probably several million Americans who are in the same boat as I am. You know what, Carl? We listened to you. We listened, and now we are going to lead. We have moved a bill from the legislative process to the rules, what it says, for reconciliation. We have done hours of debate in three other committees. We will continue the process, as the rules say. We will go to the Rules Committee and then we will come to this floor. And for those who have written, change will come. Yes, the Republican-appointed CBO Director and the Democratic CBO Director, as the gentleman, Mr. Speaker, from across the aisle says, agree that the premiums will go down, as so many Americans have asked for. We will put Medicaid on a sustainable path. We will give Republican and Democrat Governors flexibility so they can manage their States in a better form. And most importantly, we will give America exactly what they asked for, the freedom to choose their own health care, the options of having more so they can direct what they want and desire, at the same time, having a lower cost. So I welcome the gentleman for his questions. I know that wasn't about scheduling, but I think this is too important, because those 113 hearings we listened to the people before us, and we promised we would act, and we are keeping that promise as we move forward.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I do want to wish everybody a happy St. Patrick's Day. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Mr. Speaker, late votes are likely in the House on Thursday, and Members are advised to adjust their schedules accordingly. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced at close of business today. In addition, the House will consider several critical pieces of the Republican plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare: First, H.R. 372, the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, sponsored by Representative Paul Gosar, creates competition in the healthcare market by eliminating antitrust protection for insurance providers. Next, H.R. 1101, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, sponsored by Representative Sam Johnson of Texas, allows small businesses to pool together and purchase plans, an important step toward purchasing health care across State lines. Finally, Mr. Speaker, we will consider the FY 2017 reconciliation bill, also known as the American Health Care Act. This bill eliminates the many taxes and mandates of ObamaCare. It gives patients enhanced tools to take control of their healthcare decisions, and it expands choice so Americans are free to pick the plan that is best for themselves and their families. Mr. Speaker, it is known that ObamaCare is failing, and we have a responsibility to provide Americans relief. These bills are the result of much deliberation and hard work, and their passage will help create a competitive marketplace that provides high-quality care at an affordable cost.

Mr. McCARTHY. Yes. The committee has marked them up.

Mr. McCARTHY. Before I depart, though, I would like, Mr. Speaker, to wish my friend from the other side of the aisle a very happy St. Patrick's Day. I do apologize. I feel bad, when we look at the basketball round, what happened to Maryland; but if you look at NIT, Cal State Bakersfield is still on the march, so I have another team you can root for.

Mr. McCARTHY. Those will be later in the month. Next week we will have two of those up that you referred to.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, March 20, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.