Weekly Republican Address Ann Wagner 03/01/14 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT PODCAST VIDEO

Weekly Republican Address Ann Wagner 03/01/14 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT PODCAST VIDEO

WASHINGTON, DC – Delivering the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) calls on President Obama to address a new administration report that reveals 11 million workers will pay higher premiums because of the president’s health care law. “Mr. President, you owe our 11 million workers an explanation,” Rep. Wagner says, noting this is the latest broken promise under his health care law and that Republicans stand ready to forge better solutions for families and workers.

The full audio of the address is here. Download MP3 for PODCAST

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT: Remarks of Representative Ann Wagner of Missouri Weekly Republican Address The Capitol March 1, 2014

Hi, I’m Ann Wagner.

It’s truly an honor to represent the heartland of our country in St. Louis, Missouri, as a member of the United States Congress.

Growing up working in my parents’ carpet store, my daddy used to tell me that your word is your bond. That when your bond is broken; your trust is broken.

Unfortunately, President Obama has broken that bond with the American people, and they no longer can trust his word.

It seems like every week there is another broken promise from this administration about ObamaCare.

As a candidate for president, then-Senator Barack Obama promised to sign a health care law that would, and I quote, “cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.”

But as it turns out, the so-called ‘Affordable Care Act’ is not so affordable for American families after all.

A quietly-released report from President Obama’s administration just last week revealed that 11 million workers will see their premiums go up because of ObamaCare.

These aren’t just any workers that we’re talking about – they are small business workers, some of the hardest-working people in our country. The very engine of our economy.

As a nation we rise and fall with their success.

So not only is this another broken promise to 11 million people who will lose more of their hard-earned money.

It’s another slap in the face to our already-hurting middle class.

Now, the administration didn’t want you to see this report. It only exists because Republicans demanded it in early 2011, as part of a spending cut agreement. Even then, the report was submitted nearly three years late, quietly last Friday evening, with no public announcement.

Remember when we were promised that this was going to be the ‘most transparent’ administration in history?

The simple truth is Democrats in Washington are willing to say and do whatever it takes to protect their health care law.

Because it empowers the Government and not the American people.

Just this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that there are, and I quote, “plenty of horror stories being told” about health care, but “all of them,” he says, “are untrue.”

Try telling that to my constituents who are struggling to make it to the 15th and the 30th of every month in this tough economy.

Hardworking Missourians like Jenn, the owner of “Cotton Babies” – a small business owner that makes high quality diapers for consumers all over the world. Her premiums were projected to double – putting her family’s business and livelihood in jeopardy.

Let me share with you what Jenn wrote to me. She said and I quote:

“I believe in affordable health care.… We provide great health care insurance to our staff. We pay for 70% of the premium for the staff members AND their entire family. We operate on microscopic margins and have valued taking care of our employees over taking a profit. I simply don't know how we, as small business owners, are going to be able to shoulder the load with these changes.”

Every day, I hear from hardworking Missourians like Jenn who are struggling under the weight of this health care law.

And, Senator Reid, Jenn’s story and countless others are in fact true.

And, Mr. President, you owe our 11 million workers an explanation.

Are you willing to look them in the eye and say that you stand by this law?

Are you willing to confess that ObamaCare is causing premiums to skyrocket while the quality of our health care is going down?

And are you willing to work with us to provide real health care solutions that will lift up the American people?

Mr. President, we are ready.

The American people deserve better. Our families deserve affordable and quality health care. And our children deserve a brighter future.

Thank you for listening and joining this debate.

Office of the Speaker H-232 The Capitol Washington D.C. 20515 P: (202) 225-0600 F: (202) 225-5117 +sookie tex

Weekly Republican Address Tom Cotton 02/22/14 FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT VIDEO

Republican National Convention Blog. 02/22/14 FULL VIDEO

In the Weekly Republican Address, Rep. Tom Cotton says Obamacare has been a catastrophe for many of his Arkansas constituents, pointing to the case of one woman who's seen her premiums rise 85 percent because of the health law's new coverage mandates.

"She's now forced to pay for things she does not want and can't afford, simply because Washington politicians and bureaucrats think they know what's best for her and her family," Cotton says. Even after two raises and a promotion, the woman takes home less total pay than she did in 2011.

"She's stopped shopping at locally owned businesses because she can't afford their prices, so Obamacare is hurting her local community, too," Cotton says.

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT:

“Hi, I’m Tom Cotton. I’m proud to represent the people of Arkansas in Congress. I’m a sixth-generation Arkansan myself, from Yell County, near Dardanelle. Arkansans are good, hard-working people. And they’re tough. Around my parts, people sometimes say we have true grit.

“Arkansans, like most Americans, have had their grit tested over the last several years through a financial collapse, recession, and a stagnant, jobless recovery. Barack Obama’s policies aren’t solving these problems – they’re causing the problem.

“President Obama’s policies spend too much money – they’ve irresponsibly added trillions of dollars to our national debt. The debt slows economic growth today and it places an immoral burden on our kids and grandkids. And the President’s policies concentrate too much power in Washington – they give more control to bossy bureaucrats, who want to run your lives, while handing out special favors and privileges to the elite and well-connected. “There’s no better example of these failed policies than President Obama’s namesake legislation, Obamacare. This law promised to make things better – to lower costs for consumers and improve the quality of care – all the while cutting healthcare spending and saving the federal government money.

“We now know the sad reality of Obamacare: lose your insurance, lose your doctor, lose your job.

“President Obama promised you could keep your plan if you like it. That’s not true. Five million Americans face cancellations, and the President’s own estimates predict that tens of millions more will lose their plan. Many more are losing access to their family doctors, specialists, and local hospitals. And the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects Obamacare will cost the equivalent of at least two-and-a-half million full-time jobs.

“What do we get for all this pain? Obamacare will add trillions in new spending at a time of record debt. It will mean less money in workers’ paychecks or less capital for businesses to expand and grow. Less growth means less opportunity and more stress for families. And the Congressional Budget Office says we’ll still have thirty-one million uninsured in ten years – the same number President Obama used to sell the law in the first place.

“The impact of these policies is real and I’ve met people across the state with stories that show how misguided Obamacare is.

“Elizabeth, from Pulaski County, Arkansas knows this all too well. Elizabeth gets insurance through her employer, but her monthly premiums have risen eighty-five percent because of Obamacare’s new coverage mandates. She’s now forced to pay for things she does not want and can’t afford, simply because Washington politicians and bureaucrats think they know what’s best for her and her family.

“What’s worse, Obamacare isn’t just raising her premium costs. Elizabeth now takes home less total pay than she did in 2011 – and that’s after two raises and a promotion. She’s stopped shopping at locally owned businesses because she can’t afford their prices, so Obamacare is hurting her local community, too.

“For Elizabeth – and countless other Arkansans just like her – Obamacare is anything but an amazing success story. Her story shows us that this law and the President’s policies are fundamentally flawed. They’re wrong for Arkansas, and they’re wrong for America. And as a result, too many Arkansans, like people across the country, are still out of work – five years into President Obama’s economic ‘recovery.’

“Republicans in Congress are committed to stopping the harms caused by the President’s policies, repairing the damage, and getting America working again. We’re advocating reforms that trust patients and their doctors – not Washington bureaucrats. And we’re working to get spending under control. That’s because we trust you to make the right decisions for you and your family.

“Thank you for listening and have a great weekend.”

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