Senate Democrats Trying to Change the Subject from Obamacare to Judges
November 12, 2013
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the Senate Democrats attempt to focus on D.C. Circuit Court nominations rather than the consequences of Obamacare:
“Despite the repeated promises of President Obama, millions of people are losing their health insurance—health insurance they very much liked and were assured they could keep. It has been reported that so far, 3.5 million Americans have lost their health insurance under Obamacare. That includes over a quarter million people in Kentucky, a third of a million people in Florida, and almost a million people in California.
“This is a serious problem that the President and Congressional Democrats need to do something about. The obvious answer is repeal. But in the meantime, the legislation offered by Sen. Ron Johnson would help Americans keep the plans they have and like.
“If the President and Senate Democrats are serious about helping the millions of Americans who’ve unexpectedly lost their insurance over the past several weeks, then they should support it. Unfortunately, they appear ready to ignore this problem.
“Rather than focusing on keeping their commitment to the American people, they are focusing on things that appeal to their base. Rather than change the law that is causing so many problems for so many, they want to change the subject.
“According to one recent report, our Democratic friends want ‘to divert as much attention as possible away from the problem-plagued Obamacare rollout at this formative stage of the 2014 campaign.’ Which brings us to the vote we will have today.
“We will not be voting on legislation to allow Americans to keep their health insurance if they like it, as they were promised again and again. Rather, we will be voting on a nominee to a court that doesn’t have enough work to do.
“A court so underworked that it regularly cancels oral argument days.
“A court whose judges tell us that if any more judges were put on the court, there wouldn’t be enough work to go around.
“A court that is less busy now than it was when Senate Democrats pocket-filibustered President Bush’s nominee to the court, Peter Keisler, for two years.
“And it is less busy based upon the very standards that Democrats themselves set forth when they blocked Mr. Keisler’s nomination.
“By the way, it is also less busy now than it was then according to an analysis provided by the Chief Judge of that court.
“The Senate ought to be spending its time dealing with a real crisis, not a manufactured one. We ought to be dealing with an ill-conceived law that is causing millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.
“Instead, we will spend our time today on a political exercise designed to distract the American people from the mess that is Obamacare, rather than try to fix it.
“If our Democratic colleagues are going to ignore the fact that millions of people are losing their health insurance plans, they should at least be working with us to fill judicial emergencies that actually exist, rather than complaining about fake ones.
“There are nominees on the Executive Calendar who would fill actual judicial emergencies, unlike the Pillard nomination.
“Some of them, in fact, have been pending on the Calendar longer than the Pillard nomination.
“But rather than work with us to schedule votes on these nominations in an orderly manner, as we have been doing all year, the Majority prefers to concoct a crisis on the D.C. Circuit so it can try to distract the American people from the failings of Obamacare.
“Unfortunately, our friends appear to be more concerned with playing politics than with solving actual problems.
“So I will be voting no on this afternoon’s political exercise. I hope the Senate will focus on things the American people care about, rather than spend its time trying to distract them.”
“Despite the repeated promises of President Obama, millions of people are losing their health insurance—health insurance they very much liked and were assured they could keep. It has been reported that so far, 3.5 million Americans have lost their health insurance under Obamacare. That includes over a quarter million people in Kentucky, a third of a million people in Florida, and almost a million people in California.
“This is a serious problem that the President and Congressional Democrats need to do something about. The obvious answer is repeal. But in the meantime, the legislation offered by Sen. Ron Johnson would help Americans keep the plans they have and like.
“If the President and Senate Democrats are serious about helping the millions of Americans who’ve unexpectedly lost their insurance over the past several weeks, then they should support it. Unfortunately, they appear ready to ignore this problem.
“Rather than focusing on keeping their commitment to the American people, they are focusing on things that appeal to their base. Rather than change the law that is causing so many problems for so many, they want to change the subject.
“According to one recent report, our Democratic friends want ‘to divert as much attention as possible away from the problem-plagued Obamacare rollout at this formative stage of the 2014 campaign.’ Which brings us to the vote we will have today.
“We will not be voting on legislation to allow Americans to keep their health insurance if they like it, as they were promised again and again. Rather, we will be voting on a nominee to a court that doesn’t have enough work to do.
“A court so underworked that it regularly cancels oral argument days.
“A court whose judges tell us that if any more judges were put on the court, there wouldn’t be enough work to go around.
“A court that is less busy now than it was when Senate Democrats pocket-filibustered President Bush’s nominee to the court, Peter Keisler, for two years.
“And it is less busy based upon the very standards that Democrats themselves set forth when they blocked Mr. Keisler’s nomination.
“By the way, it is also less busy now than it was then according to an analysis provided by the Chief Judge of that court.
“The Senate ought to be spending its time dealing with a real crisis, not a manufactured one. We ought to be dealing with an ill-conceived law that is causing millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.
“Instead, we will spend our time today on a political exercise designed to distract the American people from the mess that is Obamacare, rather than try to fix it.
“If our Democratic colleagues are going to ignore the fact that millions of people are losing their health insurance plans, they should at least be working with us to fill judicial emergencies that actually exist, rather than complaining about fake ones.
“There are nominees on the Executive Calendar who would fill actual judicial emergencies, unlike the Pillard nomination.
“Some of them, in fact, have been pending on the Calendar longer than the Pillard nomination.
“But rather than work with us to schedule votes on these nominations in an orderly manner, as we have been doing all year, the Majority prefers to concoct a crisis on the D.C. Circuit so it can try to distract the American people from the failings of Obamacare.
“Unfortunately, our friends appear to be more concerned with playing politics than with solving actual problems.
“So I will be voting no on this afternoon’s political exercise. I hope the Senate will focus on things the American people care about, rather than spend its time trying to distract them.”
