Pelosi Remarks at Press Conference on the Failure of ‘Skinny’ Trumpcare

Leader Pelosi Opening Remarks

Leader Pelosi.   I know it was a late night last night, but a victorious one for the American people.  I want to thank the Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate for their unity.  I want to thank Senator [John] McCain for establishing a higher level of participation as to how we should proceed and to the Senators who courageously – Senator [Lisa] Murkowski, Senator [Susan] Collins and Senator [John] McCain for hearing the voices of the families.  To the families and all the outside groups who weighed in offices, in town halls, on the phone, on the [National] Mall outside the Capitol, thank you for making your voices heard in such an important way.

Right now we go forward recognizing the value of the Affordable Care Act which last night was once again protected and we take great pride in that but we also know that there are updates and improvements that we can make.

So we call upon the Speaker to establish a process: we can go right to the Committees and have a discussion on how we keep America healthy.  We call upon the President to release the funds, the Cost Saving Reductions that are essential to having the law be effective and those two things are very, very important to us.

We're very proud of the work of our Ranking Members throughout this whole process and really since about three days after the election, how we all worked together – recognizing that the Affordable Care Act was still at risk, to arrive at a place where we can go forward to improve it rather than repeal it.

With that I'm please to yield to the distinguished Democratic Whip, Mr. [Steny] Hoyer.

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Leader Pelosi.   Thank you.  We're very pleased to joined by our distinguished Chair of the House Democratic Caucus [Congressman] Joe Crowley of New York and two of Co-Chairs of our [Democratic Policy and] Communications Committee, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois [and] Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island.  They are prepared to take any questions you may have, maybe we have time for two because we have a vote ticking away now.

Yes, sir.

Q:  Leader Pelosi, have you been in any contact with Speaker [Paul] Ryan? It seems like [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell has been more open to kind of a bipartisan ‘let's move along if repeal fails.'  [Speaker Paul] Ryan has not really taken repeal off the table.  Have you been in touch with him since the Senate vote?

Leader Pelosi.   Well I have reached out to him, they were in Caucus [meeting] this morning and I believe we will speak as soon as we leave here, finish the vote, because obviously we were all up late last night but I called him this morning, they were in Caucus [meeting] but that opportunity has to be for us to work under the regular order as we go forward.

Yeah?

Q: Is it incumbent on Democrats now to reach out to Republicans after this vote has failed and say, okay, ‘we said we would talk to you once repeal is off the table, the repeal seems to be dead, here are our ideas, we are ready to compromise'?

Representative Crowley.  We have always stood ready to work with our Republican colleagues to help advance the cause of the American people: that is to provide health care to as many people as we possibly can.

We have not been asked to the table either in the House or in the Senate.  We are in the Minority.  We recognize that.  We have stood ready with ideas and thoughts about how we can mend or improve the Affordable Care Act.  So it is really incumbent upon them to come join us and bring us to the table as well.

Representative Cicilline.  Just to follow up on Chairman [Joseph] Crowley's point, you heard this morning and there have been additional proposals put forward by Members of the Democratic Caucus.  There are lots of good ideas and ways we can improve the Affordable Care Act.  There was a press conference last week outlining some of those ideas.  There is no absence of ideas.

What we have had so far is an absence of a willingness to work with Democrats in a bipartisan way, to make those improvements because they have been so singularly focused on repeal.  Hopefully the vote last night will end that quest and there will be a meaningful interest in working with us and explore some of these great ideas to make the Affordable Care Act even better.

Representative Bustos.  I will be very quick.  I find it interesting that the Republicans hold the White House, the Senate and the House and, yet, they are pointing the finger at us.  Here is the reality of it, as Congressman [Joseph] Crowley just said: we stand here with open arms and we do have proposals.

I heard [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell taking about, ‘where are the Democrats ideas?'  They have been talking about repealing and replacing, well repealing at least, for the last eight years and, I can tell you this, I am from Illinois.  I am from a rural district that Donald Trump won and people are tired of this appearing to be a game.  They want us to get the job done.

We are saying to Mitch McConnell, to Speaker [Paul] Ryan, to any Republicans, that we stand here ready to fight to bring down the price of prescription drugs, making health care more affordable from a premium perspective, co-pays and deductibles.  Yeah, we stand here ready but let's get the job done.  Thanks.