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[Page S2350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MEDICARE
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a completely different matter, for
some time now, my colleagues and I have been speaking out about the
Democrats' parade of fantastical new proposals--plans to spend
unprecedented sums of Americans' money in order to seize unprecedented
control over Americans' lives.
Just a few weeks ago, the Senate voted on the so-called Green New
Deal. It was Washington Democrats' plan to power down the U.S. economy
and have the Federal Government intrude on basically every economic
transaction and personal life choice in radically unprecedented ways.
The specifics of the proposal, limited as they were, painted enough of
a picture for outside experts to roughly estimate the price tag at as
much as $93 trillion, which is more money than the Federal Government
has spent in its entire history, in exchange for the systematic
dismantling of American prosperity.
It advocated for the abolition of the most affordable and plentiful
domestic energy resources available to American families and a hog-tied
American economy that our competitors would leave in the dust.
So it should come as no surprise that for the sequel we see and hear
that Senate Democrats may soon officially introduce their proposed
Washington, DC, takeover of health insurance--the plan I call
``Medicare for None.''
It is a fitting name for a proposal that would gut the Medicare
Program as American seniors know it, reuse the label on a new,
government-run, one-size-fits-all arrangement, and remove 180 million
Americans from the private insurance they have chosen in order to
funnel them into a system without choice.
What is especially ironic is that my Democratic colleagues are
choosing to agitate for this pivot toward socialism during this
particularly important economic period--at this particular moment, with
more job openings than Americans looking for work for the first time
since recordkeeping started, when we have seen unemployment reach a 49-
year low and wages growing faster than they have in a decade. It is the
kind of economy where a single mom in Mississippi says: ``It's amazing
that I'm getting paid almost $20 an hour to learn how to weld.''
It is the kind of economy where garage door installers in Nevada say
they are literally afraid to let potential new hires walk out the door
because American workers are in such high demand.
Let's remember that this transformation is being helped along by
Senate Republican ideas and policies that are the polar opposite--
totally opposite--of what our Democratic friends are now calling for.
Here is how Republican pro-growth and pro-opportunity policies helped
us get where we are: by encouraging job creators to invest here at home
instead of penalizing success; by recognizing that working families
know best how to spend their paychecks, not Washington; and by creating
conditions for an economic surge that touches every corner of our
country.
Now all of America is reaping the benefits. This isn't like the last
administration, where 75 percent of new jobs and 90 percent of the
population growth flowed into the very largest metropolitan areas. This
time it is an all-American comeback, and all kinds of communities are
benefiting from more jobs, more opportunities, and more growth in pay.
Monday is tax day. It is not exactly a time many of us look forward
to, but this year marks the first time Americans are filing under the
new Republican tax reform law that has helped them keep more of their
paychecks and has helped to create the outstanding economy we see
today. Democrats may be working overtime to bring this bright chapter
to an end, but over here, on this side of the aisle, we will keep
making sure that this is still just the beginning of these brighter
days for the American people.
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