Below is the text of Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler’s first-ever statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. She was scheduled to deliver the statement at or about 1:30 p.m. Pacific time.
“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, and I hope this is only a first step in the pursuit of making quality, affordable care available to all Americans.
“This year we have a chance to correct mistakes made by both parties. The Obamacare bill passed last year by the other party was the wrong approach, but when I was a staffer here the last time our party had the majority – though many on our side of the aisle worked diligently on health care reform – the job was left undone. Getting health care right is one of the reasons the people of Southwest Washington sent me to Congress.
“The good news is that solutions exist that can fix our health care system and bring costs down for middle-income families. Today we hit ‘reset’ on health care reform, and we should work to advance solutions like Small Business Health Plans, junk lawsuit reform, the expanded use of Health Savings Accounts, and the ability to purchase insurance across state lines.
“These are patient-centered solutions that won’t grow government. Solutions that will make health care more affordable, and more accessible, to all Americans. I sincerely hope we vote today to seize this chance.”
