Warren for Senate

Once again, Republicans have brought us to the brink of a government shutdown if Congress does not pass a budget before midnight tonight.

I want to talk about how we got here, and where things stand right now.

This summer, Republicans passed a law that eliminates health care benefits for 15 million people and makes the biggest cuts to health care in modern history — all to give a trillion dollars in tax handouts to billionaires and billionaire corporations.

What does cutting a trillion dollars out of our health care budget actually look like?

Rural hospitals will be closed. Seniors in nursing homes who rely on Medicaid will be kicked to the curb. People will entirely lose the coverage they rely on. Medical research for cancer and Alzheimer's will end. And people will get letters in the mail telling them that their monthly insurance costs are going to go way, way, way up. In fact, your health care premium could more than double if Congress fails to act.

This will affect the cost of health care for everybody in America.

So Democrats are telling Republicans that if they want our help funding the Trump administration, then they’ve got to restore health care funding before millions of people get hurt. We’re not even asking for new money here. We just want the government to restore that health care funding, roll back the medical research cuts, and prevent insurance premiums from going up.

What are Republicans saying to that? “No.” They refuse to even negotiate. They don't want to talk about it. Donald Trump has told them to walk away. They are just crossing their arms and saying, “No.”

So it seems like Republicans are forging ahead with their plan to shut down the government rather than restore health care for millions of Americans. They don’t care about the consequences it will have on you or your family.

Democrats should not stand by and hand over our votes while millions of people face higher costs and lose their access to health care.

NOW is the time to use our votes in the Senate to fight for the American people. That’s our job.

This isn't about politics. This is about fighting for what is right. This is about getting people health care.

Republicans are going to try to put the blame on anyone but themselves. They own this health care crisis. And Donald Trump is in charge of the White House and Republicans control both chambers of Congress. They will own this government shutdown — a shutdown that will create even more chaos and economic stress.

It doesn’t have to be this way. I’m going to continue urging the Republicans to sit down with us and pass a budget that keeps the government running and restores health care funding.

This is a fight worth having. We can't just hand a blank check to Donald Trump and say, “Do whatever you want.” Now is the time to stand up for our values, and I’m in this fight all the way.