Scalise Highlights House GOP Work to Lower Costs for Hardworking Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) to preview legislation on the House floor this week focused on lowering costs. Leader Scalise highlighted the SPEED Act, which will simplify and streamline the permitting process, and the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act, which lowers costs for all Americans, not just those on Obamacare, and provides workers with better health care options.

Click hereor the image above to view Leader Scalise's full remarks.

On the recent tragedies around the world:

"My prayers go out to all those killed in so many different horrible tragedies. Here in America, Brown University, you look at our two army soldiers that were killed, the antisemitic attacks on the other side of the globe.Just reminds you, during this Christmas season, this Hanukkah season, it's a special time, it's a time we celebrate, but it's also a time where evil still lurks here and all around the globe. And we just pray, pray for those who have been murdered, harmed, injured. We pray for those who have evil in their hearts, that God can touch them and hopefully remove that evil so that they don't go harm innocent people."

On House Republicans lowering costs through permitting reform:

"We've heard complaints from members all across the country that know that just trying to build things in America, road projects, bridges, pipelines to move energy, anything you're trying to do, more and more, laws are getting in the way. NEPA is a heavily abused law that delays a lot of the projects that ought to be built. Bruce Westerman and his committee have done incredible work to bring a bipartisan bill that starts to address the abuses here in NEPA so that we can actually build things in America again. You think about the cost savings that would come if it only takes two years instead of 10 years to build a major project.And we all know what's happening all across America, why so many projects are shelved in many cases or take so long to be built because of the abuses of some of these laws, like NEPA and Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act. All of these laws are being heavily abused. So this is a really important first step, getting the SPEED Act passed to get real meaningful permitting reform."

On providing health care options and lower premiums for all Americans:

"Dr. Miller-Meeks talked about her bill, which is such an important step to lower costs in health care for all Americans, 100% of Americans. While Democrats only care about bailing out insurance companies and focusing on less than 10% of Americans that are in the Unaffordable Care Act, we're focused on lowering premiums for all Americans.And that's what you're going to see on the floor this week. You think about Association Health Plans, which have been proven to give people more options to lower costs. The CHOICE [Arrangement] Act, which, while everybody complains, they say, 'Why, when I watch TV commercials, I see this gecko lizard, and I see the emu, and I see all these other animals out there selling car insurance, they're selling homeowners' insurance; why aren't they selling health insurance?' That's because the laws at the federal level prohibit the ability for people to have choices to get people trying to offer them lower cost products for health insurance.Imagine if, for example, with CHOICE [Arrangement] Act, where you can run through a health savings account, the ability where if you get your health insurance through your employer, if you're able to go find a better plan, if somebody could compete for your business and offer you a lower deductible plan with lower copayments for your families, right now you can't go buy that product.

"We create those options with the bill that we're bringing to the floor tomorrow, the PBM reform that Dr. Miller-Meeks talked about, where you can actually have lower prescription drug costs, again, for 100% of Americans. This is something that our three committees of jurisdiction have been working on for a long time. And yet, while Democrats only want to bail out insurance companies while premiums go up, we're focused on having lower premium options, lower cost options for 100% of Americans.

"So, another busy week where we're going to be focused on helping families that are struggling under the weight of all the damage that President Biden did. President Trump is working to lower costs.President Trump wants to see these bills on his desk, and we're going to work to deliver here in the House."