00:00Mr. President, I rise today because Republicans are making America safer and more prosperous.
00:06And as part of that, we are strengthening Medicaid.
00:10You know, I'm a doctor, practiced medicine in Wyoming for over 20 years,
00:13and I cared for many, many Medicaid patients my entire career.
00:18And I understand Medicaid's importance, importance for the people that it is intended to serve.
00:25I've also seen its shortcomings.
00:27Medicaid became a law in 1965.
00:31It was meant to be a safety net for the poor, for pregnant women, for children, and for the disabled.
00:37Today, Medicaid has been stretched way beyond its intended purposes.
00:43Today, Medicaid covers 71 million people.
00:48Many of these are able-bodied, working-aged individuals.
00:51And as a result, Medicaid has become broken and bloated.
00:57Its costs are ballooning.
00:59It's going to go bankrupt unless we take action now to strengthen it.
01:05The Republican plan will strengthen Medicaid for those for whom it was originally intended.
01:11Our bill ensures that illegal immigrants do not receive taxpayer-funded health care.
01:17It's never intended for that.
01:19But 14 liberal states currently give free, taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants.
01:28Now, California, of course, is the biggest offender, because they set up a money-laundering scheme.
01:36The scheme is set up to siphon money from the federal treasury to provide free health care for illegal immigrants.
01:42The 1.4 million illegal immigrants who receive free health care, they strangle Medicaid into funding.
01:51They're filling up waiting rooms and clinics.
01:54They make it harder for Americans to get in to see a doctor.
01:59Our bill ends liberal states' magnet for illegal immigrants.
02:03Medicaid cannot continue to be a reward for open borders and sanctuary cities.
02:09Additionally, our bill roots out waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption in Medicaid.
02:16Experts tell us that in recent years, Medicaid has wasted over a trillion dollars in improper payments alone.
02:25In 2021, 660,000 people were enrolled in Medicaid in more than one state.
02:32How can that be?
02:34That's costing lots of money.
02:36The Wall Street Journal did a breakdown of this.
02:40They found that these double payments alone cost American taxpayers over $2 billion.
02:46Republicans will not allow scammers to continue to game the system and steal money from taxpayers.
02:53Additionally, our bill puts in place work requirements for these able-bodied working-age adults.
03:0021 million able-bodied adults are currently on Medicaid.
03:03An American Enterprise Institute study recently found able-bodied adults on Medicaid who don't work, how do they spend their time?
03:12Well, they spend over four hours every day watching TV and playing video games.
03:17It's 125 hours a month.
03:20They ought to be working or at least looking for a job.
03:23Our bill requires these people to work or train 80 hours each month to remain on Medicaid.
03:31That's a lot less than the time they're currently spending watching TV and playing video games.
03:36Senate Republicans are proposing a responsible path to self-reliance for able-bodied, working-age people.
03:44No more taxpayer-funded coddling.
03:47Let me share with you a story about a man whose son relies on Medicaid.
03:53This man's son has autism and epilepsy.
03:57Medicaid was designed to serve individuals like this man's son.
04:02Yet today, his son is stuck on a 10-year waiting list for in-home care.
04:08The man wrote about his family needs.
04:09He wrote a whole article about it.
04:11It titled the story, My Son is Counting on Medicaid Work Requirements.
04:15Not for the son, but for others, so they start working and make it easier for this man's son to get the benefits that he needs.
04:26Medicaid is often called a lifeline.
04:29Years of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption have pushed those who truly need it to the back of the line.
04:36Republicans are fighting for families like this one.
04:39We're making sure Medicaid is there for the vulnerable.
04:42Meanwhile, Democrats are fine with healthy, working-age adults continuing to stay home, play video games, and receive Medicaid forever.
04:53Work requirements work, Mr. President.
04:56In the 1990s, Bill Clinton proposed that we end welfare as we know it.
05:02President Clinton partnered in a bipartisan way with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to pass bipartisan welfare reform.
05:08Bipartisan welfare reform lifted millions out of poverty.
05:15Even President Obama admitted.
05:18He said, we have to have work as the centerpiece of any social policy.
05:24President Obama was right then, and Republicans are right today.
05:29Today, every Democrat has vowed to oppose our common-sense reforms, and Democrats' wasteful approach continues to drain Medicaid.
05:42Medicaid is for the truly needy.
05:44Medicaid is not for illegal immigrants or for able-bodied, working-age men who refuse to work.
05:50Republicans are rescuing this lifeline so that it serves those who need it the most, now and into the future.
06:00Thank you, Mr. President.
06:01I yield the floor.
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