Ernst Calls on Democrats to Reopen the Government: “Let’s Take Care of Our Families”

WASHINGTON – Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) exposed how extending temporary Biden COVID bonuses would prioritize insurance companies over hardworking Iowans and called on her Democrat colleagues to join Republicans in reopening the government.

Watch Ernst’s full floor speech here.

Ernst’s full remarks:

“As I visit with farmers traveling River to River across Iowa, I hear all too often about the crushing weight of health care costs on farm families.

“The Un-Affordable Care Act’s one-size-fits-none model ignored the realities of self-employment, seasonal cash flow, and the absence of large corporate employers in farm country.

“Spouses, who are often a family farm’s bookkeeper, mechanic, veterinarian – many, many jobs all rolled into one – have been forced to take off-farm jobs solely to latch onto employer-sponsored coverage.

“This is what has happened in my own farm family. My brother and my sister are both Type 1 diabetics. Both of them have had to find jobs off the farm – or employer-sponsored health care.

“That means 40–60 hours a week away from the very enterprise they’re trying to preserve for the next generation.

“Democrats in Congress branded Obamacare as a chance to bend the cost curve downward.

“It turns out, the only thing it’s bending downward are the bottom lines of farmers across Iowa.

“The numbers don’t lie. Farmers and small businesses are subsidizing a broken system that doesn’t serve them.

“Rural America needs solutions that don’t force spouses to find off-farm work or forgo health insurance altogether.

“Premiums are climbing for individuals and small businesses alike, thanks to the Un-Affordable Care Act’s mountain of mandates.

“And now what we are seeing in this D.C. bubble is that Democrats want to hand out another $35 billion next year, straight to the insurance companies with zero guardrails on fraud or income.

“In other words, Democrats refuse to reopen the government because they want more welfare for the wealthy.

“It’s clear Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises.

“I remember President Obama saying way back in the day that Obamacare would drive down the cost of insurance for every family by $2,500 a year.

“If that were true, we wouldn’t be in this situation today.

“Obamacare has failed to deliver on its promises.

“The answer isn’t pouring more taxpayer cash into a broken system – throwing good money after bad. What we need to do is fix what’s broken.

“President Trump is already working to bring down costs.

“Instead of extending failed Obamacare and preserving fraud, we can end the waste, return billions of dollars to the taxpayers, and let folks choose from quality options.

“This is one way we can put patients first!

“A number of my colleagues have addressed the shutdown situation as well.

“So, I’m going to veer off on another topic on those federal employees, those air traffic controllers, and for heaven’s sake, our military members that are struggling under this shutdown.

“Now, many of our military families already rely on SNAP to provide food for their families.

“We have 1,900 Iowa Army National Guardsmen that are serving across the Middle East today. They are deployed. They have left their civilian employment only to go into a deployed situation where they don’t know if or when they will get their next paycheck. Their families in Iowa are struggling right now. They are out there serving for all of us.

“My daughter is also a soldier in the Army. At the beginning of the government shutdown, she had the very awful position of having to sit down with her soldiers and counsel them for where they can go to find loans to help their families during the government shutdown.

“Many of the employees here have had to do the exact same thing.

“What does it take to get through this government shutdown? It’s a simple yes vote from our friends across the aisle.

“They have shut the government down. We have provided opportunity time and time again to open the federal government, to pay our federal government workers, to make sure our skies are safe, to make sure our military members are paid, to make sure SNAP benefits are getting to every family that struggles with food insecurity.

“All it takes is a yes vote.

“We have told the Democrats we are willing to sit down and negotiate on the ACA – the Unaffordable Care Act – and other opportunities. We will do that when we open the federal government.

“Democrats are not fighting to lower premiums. They are fighting to raise profits for health insurance companies.

“Democrats are terrified of the truth about their temporary COVID credits. It’s welfare for the wealthy and corporate welfare rolled all into one.

“Democrats are demanding that Republicans vote to make their handout scheme permanent.

“Their plan is to line the pockets of health insurers with half a trillion dollars in taxpayer-funded subsidies.

“Thanks to Democrats, insurers are pocketing record profits fueled by taxpayer subsidies.

“Extending the Biden COVID credits would cost taxpayers half a trillion dollars.

“Democrats shut down the government to protect Obamacare subsidies that send $40 billion to insurance companies—not to the families that need it.

“So, let’s be very clear. This argument isn’t about helping American families that need better options for health care insurance. It is about sending large wads of money to health insurers.

“Let’s come together to figure this out folks.

“We are the United States Senate. We are the U.S. government.

“This never would have been allowed to happen when I was serving in the United States military. You come up with courses of action, you decide on the best course of action, and you follow through with that mission.

“We expect our servicemembers to do this every single day. They are at the behest of the United States federal government.

“We need to open up the federal government and ensure they are paid.

“Let’s take care of our families. Let’s take care of the food insecure folks – not just in Iowa, but all across the nation. Let’s make sure our farmers are able to make their farm payments this fall.

“All it takes is a simple yes from our Democratic friends.”

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