Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Democrats Putting Forward Legislation That Would Provide Much Needed Economic And Healthcare Relief For The American People And Urging[...]

Washington, D.C. - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on Congressional Republicans choosing to put forward a partisan CR at the behest of Donald Trump, which would continue the current status quo of high prices and surging inflation and worsen the impending healthcare crisis, rather than come to the table and work across the aisle to negotiate legislation to keep the government open. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Yesterday, Democrats released our bill to extend government funding and meet the needs of the American people.

The contrast between the Republican bill and Democratic bill is glaring.

The Republican bill is more of the same failed status quo of Donald Trump's harmful policies - higher costs, healthcare cuts, premiums up.

Democrats have a different option: we address the crises Americans face in healthcare, in Medicaid, in inflation, and in higher costs.

The House is expected to vote on their partisan, status quo bill either later today or tomorrow.

If the bill passes the House, the Senate should take up the issue immediately afterwards.

We could do it quickly, so that we don't interfere with anyone's travel plans to Arizona.

We would ask for limited debate and just two votes: the House status quo bill, which delays any sort of healthcare relief, and the Democratic alternative, which would lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans.

I urge Republican leaders to speed up these votes.

Now, one of the oldest sayings in politics is from the great Abraham Lincoln: he said that "Public sentiment is everything."

That is certainly true in this debate.

The American people will look at what Republicans are doing, look at what Democrats are doing, and it will be clear that public sentiment will be on our side for at least three reasons.

First, the American people want both sides to work together. We have made it clear we want a bipartisan negotiation, but Republicans don't.

The American people detest seeing Republicans being so intransigent. Republicans are governing like their view is the only view. That is, of course, not true. We are a split country, half-and-half. And to cut one half out entirely - no talk, no negotiation - is unacceptable for the American people. That won't win public sentiment in any way.

The second reason public sentiment is on our side is that Americans are tired of the failed, chaotic, high-costs status quo, which decimates their healthcare, which raises their costs, and which Republicans are defending in their bill.

Tens of millions of people are going to lose coverage. Starting in October, millions will receive notices that their healthcare insurance premiums will go up by $400, $500, $600 - not a year, a month. The average working family can't afford that.

Premiums are about to go skyrocketing.

Hospitals from Virginia to Nebraska, from Maine to California are shutting down now - not later, but now.

People won't be able to see a doctor or access affordable medication.

I met a woman whose daughter has cancer. She said to me that they depend on Medicaid for her recovery. What is she going to do? Wait? Delay? See what the Republicans want to do, if anything? When they haven't said they'd do anything at all and they decimated healthcare themselves?

Nursing homes are going to close down, and many American families are not going to know what to do about taking care of their elderly parents. They may not have room at home to have them move in. And even if they did, they can't give them the kind of care their parents got in nursing homes. But nursing homes, one after the other, are going to close. They depend on Medicaid.

This is all chaos. This is suffering.

Medical research, which can cure cancer or Alzheimer's, which millions are alive because we invested in - Republicans want to cut it off? Stifle it? Don't send the money out for it?

This is chaos. This is suffering. This is the result of Donald Trump's policies, which the status quo partisan Republican bill maintains.

And Americans are tired of this status quo. All the data shows it.

Even Leader Thune called the Republican bill the "status quo" option yesterday on the floor. America, you want the status quo on healthcare?

Leader Thune says his bill is status quo. And today, I was amazed to hear that Leader Thune called our bill "filthy."

Is it filthy to provide healthcare for sick Americans? Is it filthy to prevent premiums from going up by $400, $500 a month? Is it filthy to prevent rural hospitals from closing?

That's why Republicans are so out of touch. That's why the American people desperately want change. They do not think our country is headed in the right direction.

And they need help in bringing healthcare costs down, providing better healthcare, they need help staying covered, they need help paying for the essentials.

The Republican status quo bill doesn't do any of this, but the Democratic bill does. That's the second reason that public sentiment is on our side, not theirs.

Finally, and just as importantly, it is unacceptable that Donald Trump has told Republicans not to negotiate with Democrats. He is heading, Donald Trump, is heading America towards a shutdown by not negotiating.

I will remind everyone of his words last week: "don't even bother to deal" with Democrats.

When Donald Trump says "don't even bother" with Democrats, he says he wants a shutdown, plain and simple.

And again, that is the last thing the American people want - a president who says my way or the highway and shut the government down if I don't get my way.

The public is on our side. Public sentiment is everything.

The public doesn't like Republican partisanship, they don't like the status quo bill, and they certainly don't like Donald Trump refusing to even have Democrats be part of the decision.

He says he doesn't need us. Well, Donald Trump either doesn't know how to count or doesn't understand a modicum of procedure. You need 60 votes, Mr. President. You have 53. You need our votes. To say not to bother with us is saying you want a shutdown, plain and simple. And the American people see that.

Finally, Leader Thune has spent a lot of time talking about the past. He's quoted me.

I want to remind Leader Thune, I want to remind my Republican colleagues: when Democrats were in the majority and I was Majority Leader, every year we did not see a shutdown.

I was Majority Leader for four years, no shutdowns. Why? Because we sat down with the other side and negotiated. We knew that the majority had to work with the minority.

Like then, we had to get sixty votes, and bipartisanship ruled the day. It had to if you want to avoid a shutdown.

Why is that not happening now?

Well, frankly Leader Jeffries and I were befuddled for about a month, because in late July, we asked Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson to sit down with us. We heard nothing from them, crickets. We asked again in early September, nothing, crickets. But now it's clear why they don't sit down with us.

Here's the reason: Donald Trump.

Donald Trump made it clear: "don't even bother dealing" with Democrats.

Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson listen to Trump. They are not independent actors. They don't represent an independent Congress, an independent House, or an independent Senate. And when Donald Trump says don't negotiate with Democrats, they don't and come up with plenty of excuses why.

The single biggest reason we are on the brink of a shutdown is Donald Trump's refusal to let Republicans even negotiate.

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