00:00Democrats have said we must address the health care crisis, but Republicans have
00:06repeatedly said they won't negotiate to lower the health care costs until the
00:11government reopens. This proposal reopens the government and ensures working
00:17families who are shopping right now for their health care get certainty and
00:21financial relief. This is a reasonable offer that reopens the government, deals
00:28with health care affordability, and begins a process of negotiating reforms
00:34to the ACA tax credits for the future. After so many failed votes, it's clear we
00:41need to try something different. What the Senate is doing isn't working for either
00:46party and isn't working for the American people. Democrats have said we must
00:51address the health care crisis, but Republicans have repeatedly said they
00:57won't negotiate to lower the health care costs until the government reopens. So
01:03let's find a path to honor both positions. Democrats would like to see an end to
01:09this shutdown and we want to respect Leader Thune's desire not to negotiate on ACA
01:14until after the government reopens. Therefore, we'd like to offer a simple
01:19proposal that would reopen the government and extend the ACA premium tax credits
01:26simultaneously and then have the opportunity to start negotiating longer
01:33term solutions to health care costs. Let's do all three. I've spoken with my
01:39caucus and Democrats are offering a very simple compromise. Democrats are ready to
01:45clear the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes health care
01:50affordability. Leader Thune just needs to add a clean one-year extension of the ACA
01:57tax credits to the CR so that we can immediately address rising health care
02:02costs. That's not a negotiation. It's an extension of current law, something we do
02:09all the time around here, as we all know. But we also offer this. Let's create a
02:16bipartisan committee that will continue negotiations after the government reopens
02:22on reforms ahead of next year's enrollment period to provide long-term
02:27certainty that health care costs will be more affordable. This proposal reopens
02:33the government and ensures working families who are shopping right now for
02:37their health care get certainty and financial relief. While open enrollment has
02:43begun, insurers can update their rates after we pass a simple extension of the
02:50tax credits. With this approach we do not negotiate health care in the shutdown as
02:56Leader Thune has maintained he wishes and the American people get the tax credit
03:01extension they want. That is what many of our Republican colleagues have floated
03:07over the last six weeks as a compromise. A one-year tax credit extension and
03:11reforms to the credit beyond that. We will agree with the Republican request not to
03:19start negotiations until after the government reopens. All Republicans have
03:25to do is say yes to extend current law for one year. It makes sense and since what
03:32we're proposing is only a simple extension of current law, the Senate could do
03:38this within a few hours. This is a reasonable offer that reopens the government, deals
03:46with health care affordability, and begins a process of negotiating reforms to the ACA
03:53tax credits for the future. Now the ball is in the Republicans' court. We need Republicans to just say yes.
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