Bernie Moreno

Mr. MORENO

Mr. MORENO. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. MORENO

Mr. MORENO. Will the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. MORENO. Thank you to the Democrat leader for yielding for a question. Have you put forward a proposal that we could read that you reference in your speech, which says a clean continuing resolution, with the extension of the ACA Biden credits?

Mr. MORENO. So there is--

Mr. MORENO. No, no. My question is: Is there a proposal in writing that we can read?

Mr. MORENO. Would it still have no income caps, so people who make $1 million, $2, $3 million a year--

Mr. MORENO. So for 1 year, people making millions of dollars would still receive--

Mr. MORENO.--these COVID-era subsidies?

Mr. MORENO. Just to be clear, what we heard from the minority leader was the following. I want to recap for those who might have missed it. No. 1, he acknowledged that the Democrats have not put forward a written proposal that people could look at. No. 2, he acknowledged that his plan would be to allow millionaires--let me say that clearly-- people making millions of dollars would receive Biden-era COVID ObamaCare subsidies. You heard that right--no income cap. I was going to ask him before he stormed out of the room because evidently he doesn't want to hear any opposing views or actually engage in meaningful negotiation. He would have heard me ask the next question, which is, would he continue zero-dollar premiums, which we know for a fact have enormous levels of fraud. If he had stayed, I would have asked him a third question: Does he want these moneys to go directly to insurance companies? Let me repeat that because I don't think the American people have been told the truth here. This money does not go to people on ObamaCare; this is a check written from the Federal Government to the wealthiest insurance companies on the planet. He wants no income caps, millionaires getting COVID subsidies. He wants zero-dollar premiums that are filled with fraud, and he wants to enrich insurance companies even more. And because he can't get that-- here is the irony--there are Federal workers--military, TSA, the clerks here--that aren't receiving paychecks, that might get their health insurance canceled because we are not sending the premiums in. He is doing this to help people who have made millions of dollars already with this flawed healthcare system. To make it worse, he admitted right here on the floor of the U.S. Senate--the minority leader admitted that he has actually not submitted a written proposal to allow the Senate to consider. Let me just say one last thing, and I will yield my time to the Senator from Louisiana, who last night--I give enormous credit, honestly--gave a phenomenal proposal. I love what you said, which is that instead of sending this money to insurance companies, why don't we send to the people directly? Let them be empowered to hold insurance companies accountable. Let them make the decisions. I find it laughable that he says that I am for billionaires. I am somebody who worked my entire life in the private sector. According to financial disclosures, he has a higher net worth than I do, and he has been a politician his whole life. I don't know the math around that. I will yield the floor to my great colleague from Louisiana, who, by the way--sadly, the cameras don't pan the room. There are no Democrats here listening to what you are about to say. You are here because you are a good man, and in your heart, you want to fix this. They say we won't negotiate with them. They want to negotiate with President Trump, which is funny because when I look around, there are little plaques all over this floor, and there are none that say ``Donald J. Trump.'' This is a negotiation among the U.S. Senate, but they are not even here. Look--gone, empty. Maybe they are at lunch with some lobbyists. Maybe insurance company lobbyists are taking them out to play golf today. I would if I were an insurance company lobbyist. Man, you guys are making me rich--like, filthy, filthy rich. I am going to end, I swear. Isn't it ironic, Senator Cassidy, that we want to give the money directly to the American people, and they want to give it right into the pockets of the people who fund their campaigns? Maybe they even own those stocks. People out there, listen to it, and think about. I yield the floor.

Mr. MORENO. Will the Senator from Louisiana answer some very quick questions?

Mr. MORENO. The first question I have for you, Senator, is, How many Democrat colleagues are in the Chamber today, right now?

Mr. MORENO. So zero. Not one single Democrat is in the Chamber listening, debating, having a dialogue with you. Question No. 2: If you are a union worker in my State of Ohio, do these Biden, ObamaCare, COVID-era subsidies lower their health costs?

Mr. MORENO. If you are somebody on Medicare, no matter where you are in America, do these COVID-era, Biden, ObamaCare subsidies lower your deductibles?

Mr. MORENO. If you get private insurance from a small business like the one I used to own, do these Biden-era COVID subsidies lower your healthcare costs?

Mr. MORENO. If you are, unfortunately, somebody who is having a tough time and you are on Medicaid and you are disabled or have children, do these Biden-era COVID subsidies lower your deductibles or your out-of- pocket costs?

Mr. MORENO. So none of the people I just mentioned--not union workers, not people on Medicare, not people on Medicaid, not people on private insurance, not unions that have negotiated incredible rates-- none of them will see lower healthcare costs; am I accurate on that?

Mr. MORENO. Who stands to gain by the Federal Government writing a check for $26 billion to do what the Democrats want in order to open the people's government?

Mr. MORENO. But just to be clear, the money goes directly to the insurance company, correct?

Mr. MORENO. It doesn't go to the pocket of the consumer. For example, if I want to go find a doctor who is going to offer treatment for less money because my deductible is too high, this doesn't help me because I am not getting the money. It is going to go to the insurance company, correct?

Mr. MORENO. Senator, you are so smart on this topic. You are the chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; is that true?

Mr. MORENO. Who was the previous chairman?

Mr. MORENO. Bernie Sanders. Bernie Sanders was the chairman when again--just to be clear?

Mr. MORENO. Which would have been through 2024?

Mr. MORENO. And the Biden-era ObamaCare subsidies were made, extended, in 2022; is that correct?

Mr. MORENO. To expire in 2025?