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Pelosi Speaks in House on Health Care; Ryan Speaks in House Asking Reps to Pass Health Care Legislation. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired May 04, 2017 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:32:47] JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, is speaking live on the floor of the House right now. Let's listen in.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: -- tens of millions of working families across America. Trumpcare very clearly spotlights the differences in priorities between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. It is a step forward in the longstanding Republican belief that Medicare should wither on the vine, that Medicaid should be shrunken and that Social Security should be privatized. If you believe in the health and well-being of the American people, you must reject this bill before us now. It is what Trumpcare --

Here is what it means to the American people. Much has been said about policy here today and over time. Much has been said about politics. What are the politics of this? What's really important is what this means to the American people. And they know. They are listening. They know what it means to them. And it means, Trumpcare does, it forces families to pay higher premiums and deductibles, increasing out of pocket costs. Higher costs. Less coverage. Trumpcare will take away health care from more than 24 million hard- working Americans. A crushing age tax. Trumpcare forces Americans aged 50 to 64 to pay premiums five times higher than what others pay for health coverage, no matter how healthy they are. Steals from Medicare. Steals from Medicare. Trumpcare shortens the life of the Medicare Trust Fund and ransacks funds that seniors depend on to get long-term care they need. That's why it's consistent with their wither on the vine for Medicare philosophy.

And if that were not bad enough, and they couldn't pass their bill because it was that bad, they move further away from the American people by gutting key protections. Trumpcare eviscerates essential health benefits, such as, maternity care, prescription coverage, prenatal care, and guts protections for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.

[13:35:07] As bad as Trumpcare was the first time around -- it was dead. It died right here on the floor -- now it's come back to life like a zombie even more scary than before. And it is even worse. If Republicans have their way, Americans with pre-existing conditions will be pushed off their insurance and segregated into high-risk pools where they will face soaring costs, worse coverage and restricted care. Trumpcare means huge, huge premium increases. It's a frightening future for families who need affordable, dependable care the most.

Now on the floor, the Republicans have recklessly, and some would say fraudulently, claimed that Trumpcare covers Americans with pre- existing conditions. It does not. It does not. As Robert Boyce (ph) at the Conservative Mercada Center (ph) said about the Upton Amendment, the $8 billion amount is a pittance. Spread over five years, it's one-fifth of a pittance. As the Keiser Family Foundation said, the Upton Amendment would cover the cost for only 1 percent of the individual market. Others have given it to 5 percent. 1 percent to 5 percent. Does that mean covering? No.

Forcing a vote without a CBO score shows that the Republicans are afraid of the facts. They're afraid of learning the full consequences of their plan to push Americans with pre-existing conditions into the cold, or as my colleague in New York said, off the sidewalk. If Republicans thought they were really protecting people, they wouldn't be afraid of the facts. But they're also afraid of the truth. And the truth that would come forth if we knew the facts.

And they're afraid that the American people will find out that this is not a health care bill. This is a tax bill disguised as a health bill. This is a bill that is the biggest -- one of the biggest transfers of wealth from the middle class to the richest people and corporations in America. It's a tax bill, not a health care bill. That's why they have to do it now so they can get on with their tax bill.

But the suffers Trumpcare will inflict on the sick is all too clear. That is why this disastrous bill has been condemned by the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heath Association, American Lung Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, AIDS United, the Children's Hospitals Association, AARP, the March of Dimes, the list goes on and on, on and on, the American Cancer Society.

Instead of reading all of these pages, I will submit them, without objection for the record.

REP. PAUL RYAN, (R-WI), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Without objection.

PELOSI: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Under Trumpcare, families, seniors, vulnerable children, Americans with disabilities, people struggling to overcome addiction and the sick will lose their health care. Rural hospitals will close. Nearly two million jobs will be destroyed across America. Seven million veterans will lose access to tax credits for health care. And all of this to give a massive tax cut to the richest in America. Trumpcare is a billionaire's tax cut, again, disguised as a health care bill. It's Robin Hood in reverse, one of the largest, again, transfers of wealth from working families to the rich in our country.

Today. we have the -- we honor of visions of our founders who risked everything. They've risked everything, their lives, their liberty, their sacred honor, to advance a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The life, a healthier life, the freedom to pursue your happiness. The freedom from being job locked or policy locked because of what the Republicans want to do today. Today, we fight to preserve affordable health care as the right of every American, again, not the privileged few. Today, we fight for children, like Zoe Madison Lin (ph). Zoe was born with a congenital heart defect in May of 2010. She faced her first of three heart surgeries at 15 hours. By six months old, Zoe was halfway to her lifetime limit her insurer had placed on her. She faced a grim future not only using up her lifetime limit by preschool, by preschool, but by carrying a pre-existing condition that will require attention and care for the rest of her life. Under the Affordable Care Act, Zoe is protected. But President Trumpcare puts her future in danger.

[13:40:04] I wish that our members who vote for this bill have better -- I hope you make time to sit down with the parents of a newborn or with a heart condition or a young woman who just learned she had breast cancer, the family of loved ones struggling with a disease or chronic condition, any of the tens of millions of Americans who are rightfully terrified of what Trumpcare will mean in their lives.

Mr. Speaker, we have with this bill a wonderful opportunity. This is one of the best civics lessons we can engage in. Because of what happened following the election, the American people are engaged. They are paying attention. I'm not saying in a political way. I'm saying in a personal way. A former speaker said, "All politics is local." In the case of health care, all politics is personal. All politics is personal when it comes to health care.

And so this civics lesson will teach the American people a number of things. As special as we think we are when we come to the floor, most Americans don't know who their member of Congress is. But they will now. When they find out that you voted to take away their health care. Am I correct?

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: They will know when you put an age tax on them or undermine Medicare and Medicaid and the test. Oh, yeah, they're paying attention because it's really personal with them and their families. So I think we have to get ready for that.

Our members, our colleagues who have the mantle of being a moderate, you vote for this bill, you have walked the plank, from moderate to radical. And you're walking the plank for what? A bill that will not be accepted by the United States Senate. Why are you doing this? Do you believe in what is in this bill? Some of you have said, well, they'll fix it in the Senate. But you have every provision of this bill tattooed on your forehead. You will glow in the dark on this one. You will glow in the dark.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

PELOSI: You will glow in the dark. So don't walk the plank, especially unnecessarily. Our responsibility to the sick and the hurt is Biblical. It's

fundamental to who we are. As Pope Francis said, "Health is not a consumer good, but a universal right." So access to health services cannot be a privilege.

Today, let us, declare once again, that affordable health care must be the right of the American -- of every American, not the privileged few.

So I ask you, my colleagues, does Trumpcare lower health cost?

(SHOUTING)

PELOSI: Does Trumpcare provide better health care?

(SHOUTING)

PELOSI: Does Trumpcare protect seniors and families?

(SHOUTING)

PELOSI: Is Trumpcare good for our veterans?

(SHOUTING)

PELOSI: Is there any caring in Trumpcare at all?

(SHOUTING)

PELOSI: For the sake of our values, to honor our responsibilities, to our founders, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to our veterans who protect us, and to our children whose aspirations are our guide, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this disastrous Trumpcare bill. And you'll back it up.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

TAPPER: I want to bring in CNN senior White House correspondent, Jim Acosta.

Jim, you're hearing that President Trump is feeling very optimistic going into the vote. What is the latest from the White House?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: They are feeling very optimistic over here at the White House, Jake, but they are cautiously optimistic we should point out. I talked to a White House official in the last hour who said, if this passes, they think it may be down to two or three votes in terms of a margin of victory. That is a squeaker when it comes to votes on something as big as health care here in Washington.

But just in the last several minutes, White House spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, has been talking to reporters in the briefing room, Jake, and she said the president has been working the phones over the last 48 hours. He's now up to 15 to 20 members that he's contacted over that time period.

And on this very sensitive topic that you heard Nancy Pelosi talking about a few moments ago, this issue or pre-existing conditions --

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: Jim, I'm going to interrupt.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is speaking. We're going to take that live.

RYAN: I'd like to thank Chairman Walden, Chairman Brady, Chairwoman Black, Chairman Sessions. I want to thank the members of those committees, Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, Budget and Rules. I want to thank all the members who made constructive contributions throughout this entire deliberative, bottom-up, organic process.

I want to thank the president of the United States for his steadfast leadership.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

[13:45:09] RYAN: In his address --

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Mr. Speaker?

The House will be in order.

(SHOUTING)

RYAN: In his address to this chamber, he called on Congress to act. And today, we take the next step to repeal and replace Obamacare.

(CHEERING)

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: I want to thank Vice President Pence, Secretary Price, Director Mulvaney, and all of their teams.

My colleagues, there is a fundamental and urgent choice at the heart of this debate. We can continue with this status quo under Obamacare, and we know what that looks like. It means even higher premiums, even fewer choices, even more insurance companies pulling out, even more uncertainty and even more chaos.

Look at what has happened in Iowa this week. As in -- as is the case in so many areas in this country, Iowa is down to one insurer. That, of course, is not a choice. But now that one insurer is saying that it will have to pull out of 94 of 99 counties in Iowa. This is happening right now. So tens of thousands of Iowans will go have having one option to no options. That is not a choice. This is a crisis. And it is happening right now. What protection is Obamacare if there is no health care plan to purchase in your state? This is the direction Obamacare is rapidly heading. So we can continue with this status quo or we can put this collapsing law behind us.

End this failed experiment. Let's make it easier for people to afford their health insurance. Let's give people more choices and more control over their care. Let's make insurance companies come in and compete for your business. Let's return power from Washington to the states. Let's help get people peace of mind.

(APPLAUSE)

RYAN: Let's put the patient, not the bureaucrats, at the center of the system.

(SHOUTING)

RYAN: This bill does all of those things. This bill delivers on the promises that we have made to the American people.

You know, a lot of us have been waiting seven years to cast this vote. Many of us are here because we pledged to cast this very vote to repeal and replace Obamacare, to rescue people from this collapsing law.

Are we going to meet this test? Are we going to be men and women of our word?

(SHOUTING)

RYAN: Are we going to keep the promises that we made?

(SHOUTING)

RYAN: Or are we going to falter?

(SHOUTING)

RYAN: No.

(SHOUTING)

RYAN: After all of this, after all of this, after seeing what is happening in Iowa and around the country, after seeing this law collapsing, while we witness it across the country, doing all this turmoil that is coming, we will not falter. We will replace. And today is the day that we're going to do this.

Today, this House has the opportunity to do more than just fulfill a promise. We have the opportunity to raise our gaze and set a bold course for our country. We have the opportunity to show that we've got the resolve to tackle the big challenges in this country before they tackle us, to stop the drift of arrogant big government policies in our lives, and to begin a new era of reform based on liberty and self-determination. Giving people choices, letting them control their own destinies. That is the day that is before us right here.

So let us pass this bill to take the next step to put Obamacare behind us. Let us pass this bill to build a better health care system for American families. Let us pass this bill to leave this country better than we found it. Because that is why we are here. That is what is at stake today. And that is why I'm going to be so proud to cast my vote for this legislation. And I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

(CHEERING)

[13:50:17] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The speaker of the House Paul Ryan with a strong plea for representatives to vote in favor of the legislation. That roll call is about to begin.

Earlier, we heard Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader, the minority leader, making a strong plea to vote against the legislation.

Joining us now, David Axelrod, our CNN senior political commentator and former senior adviser to President Obama.

David, leading GOP lawmakers say this version of the GOP health care bill will pass. Your reaction to the possibility of this beginning to this becoming the potential end of Obamacare?

DAVID AXELROD, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, Wolf, we'll see what happens. This is a win, no doubt. This is a win for Paul Ryan and the president, who had stumbled so badly out of the gate on this promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Whether it's a win in the long run is yet to be seen.

I think Nancy Pelosi's summation was pretty brutal when she turned to those members in swing districts and said, recited all the things that people will lose as a result of this, and told them that they are walking the plank from moderate to radical, and for what, for a bill that won't come back from the United States Senate. There's a good reason the Senate won't return this bill that is being passed today, so there may be people who cast the vote for putting people with pre- existing conditions in jeopardy, for cutting back on Medicaid for millions of people in this country, for tampering with employer-based health care and some of the benefits that are offered, mental health, drug prescriptions, and so on, for nothing, because the bill won't come back.

So I think this is the first step. It's a short-term political win for the president -- he badly needed one -- for the Republican leadership in Congress -- they badly needed it. But it's very unlikely this bill will become law.

BLITZER: As Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader, was speaking, the president was tweeting. He tweeted this, "I'm watching the Democrats trying to defend, you can keep your doctor, you can keep your plan and premiums will go down. Obamacare lie."

So clearly, he's getting ready to gloat, presumably, if this passes.

AXELROD: Yeah, but you look -- there's a reason why they wanted to get this bill out today before the recess. There's a reason why they wanted to get the bill out before the Congressional Budget Office had a chance to score it. Again, the last time the CBO scored a bill, a CBO that's led by their appointees, the Republicans, they said 24 million Americans would lose their health care, and in the short-term, premiums would go up. And now there's this new feature that allow states to opt out in terms of covering people with pre-existing conditions. And there is going to be a backlash. If this were ever to become law, and I don't think the Senate will allow it to become law, President Trump will learn what President Obama learned, which is when you pass these bills, you own the whole system. And this is a particularly egregious thing because they are rolling back benefits rather than expanding health care benefits. It would be a political disaster for the president in the long run if this actually became law.

BLITZER: David, I want you to stand by.

Coming up, it's come down this, the Republicans seven-year quest to repeal Obamacare faces its first real test on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Our special live coverage continues right after this quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:53:11] TAPPER: Welcome back. We're watching the House of Representatives right now, the floor of the House, where we're expecting, any moment, members will actually begin voting and making history. In front of them, right now, is the Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, and replace it. They would enact what's called the American Health Care Act, what Democrats call Trumpcare. Right now, there's a pre-vote before the main vote, which you're seeing on your screen.

I want to bring in CNN chief political correspondent, Dana Bash, who is on Capitol Hill.

Dana, what's the latest, and what is this pre-vote?

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a procedural vote they are doing before the actual vote. As we've been talking about, this has been cobbled together, the amendment, trying to change the rules in order to get this done quickly, and also trying to make sure that they don't vote on anything that, for example, with this vote, will make members exempt from whatever health care law that they pass. That's what's going on now. The big vote will be in another 15 minutes or so depending on how it goes.

But I just want to set the scene for you, Jake, about how it feels up here. There is -- there's certainly an electricity in the air. For Democrats, it's an electricity that's doom and gloom on the policy but, frankly, a kind of we-gotcha on your politics. And you heard that in the Nancy Pelosi speech on the floor saying people will have this vote tattooed on their head on the Republican side, that people in their districts don't know their names, they will now. The kind of political threat and the political opportunity the Democrats think they have with Republicans voting to repeal Obamacare.

And on the other side, you heard House Speaker Paul Ryan talking about -- in really big consequential terms about how important this is, how many people who are serving here either ran on appealing Obamacare or even came here because they promised to repeal Obamacare, and that we have to, from the Republican perspective, keep --