Susan Wild

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, with only 4 days until open enrollment closes for next year, I want to call on people in my community, across Pennsylvania, and in every part of our country to sign up for coverage on healthcare.gov. Because Pennsylvania chose to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, low-income individuals and families in every corner of our district and State can obtain coverage, and nearly 700,000 Pennsylvanians are now covered. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Americans of every background can choose from a range of plans to find one that works for them and their family free from discrimination over gender, sexual orientation, race, or preexisting conditions. However, there is still work to be done. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. While the Affordable Care Act has brought us closer to universal coverage, we must build on this progress. In the coming months I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to make clear that we need to move away from our profit-driven healthcare system toward a society where affordable, high quality care is the birthright of every single child, woman, and man in this country.

Ms. WILD

Ms. WILD. Mr. Speaker, Representatives of the 115th Congress, I am profoundly humbled and honored that the people of my district have entrusted me with the duty of representing them. The work of conducting the people's business in this Chamber has endured through unfinished struggles for equality and justice, through conflicts abroad and crises at home. I look forward to taking part in that work through the remainder of this session and into the next Congress, when a historically diverse freshman class, including more women than ever before in our Nation's history, will take their oaths. Our first responsibility must be to the most vulnerable and least fortunate among us, and our voices should amplify theirs. My parents both lived lives of service. My father, a conservative Republican, spent his entire career in the Air Force and was driven by a sense of duty. My mother, a progressive Democrat, believed at her core that we are defined by what we do for others. They have both passed away now, but my standing here is a testament to them. We in Congress have a responsibility and opportunity to improve the everyday lives of the people of our districts. On behalf of my community, your communities, and generations to come, I know that we can and must rise to the occasion and deliver shared and lasting progress.