Hatch Statement on Attorney General Sessions
Washington, D.C.— Senator Orrin Hatch, (R-Utah), the senior Republican in the United States Senate, issued the following statement in support of his friend Attorney General Jeff Sessions:
Jeff Sessions is among the most honorable men in government today. I strongly supported his nomination to Attorney General because I knew he would lead the Justice Department with the same passion, integrity, and principle that defined his service in the United States Senate. I have full confidence in Jeff’s ability to perform the duties of his office and, above all, uphold the rule of law
================
Video: Ahead of Healthcare Procedural Vote, Hatch Urges Colleagues to Allow Floor Debate
“If you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should at the very least want to have a debate on this bill. Under the rules we’ll have an open amendment process, members will get a chance to have their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.”
Washington, D.C.—Today the Senate will hold a procedural vote on whether or not to begin floor debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare. The Senate will not be voting on passage for a specific bill, but will be opening debate in which the Senate will consider and vote on a number of healthcare proposals in a thorough debate and amendment process. Among those proposals that will be the 2015 “clean repeal” bill, which Hatch wrote with the Senate Finance Committee, and an updated version of the Better Care Restoration Act, which was discussed last week (and has since been updated).
A number of Republican Senators have previously announced opposition to even beginning debate on their bills, and Senator Hatch addressed that issue in brief remarks on the Senate floor. Senator Hatch’s remarks on the floor echoed those by Vice President Mike Pence, who told KUTV last week, “We’re calling on every member of the Senate in both political parties to start the process, to begin the debate, to begin the work to give the American people a fresh start to repeal and replace Obamacare.”
“If you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should at the very least want to have a debate on this bill. Under the rules we’ll have an open amendment process, members will get a chance to have their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.”
The Senator’s full remarks:
The next vote on this legislation will presumably be whether to let the Senate proceed to the bill. Regardless of your position on this particular draft, if you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should, at the very least, want to have a debate on this bill.
Under the rules, we’ll have an open amendment process. Members will get a chance to make their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.
Keep in mind, Mr. President, virtually every Republican in this body has supported the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare more or less since the day it was signed into law. We’ve all made promises to our constituents along those lines. This legislation, while far from perfect, would fulfill the vast majority of those promises.
If we pass up this opportunity, we’re looking at further collapse of health insurance markets, which means dramatically higher premiums and even fewer healthcare options for our constituents. And, make no mistake, Mr. President, while some are talking about a bipartisan solution to prop up markets in the event this bill fails, there is no magic elixir or silver bullet that will make that an easy proposition.
But, one thing I’ve learned in my 40 years in the Senate is that, people who demand purity and perfection when it comes to legislation usually end up disappointed and rarely accomplish anything productive. That’s particularly true when we’re talking about complex policy matters.
==========================
Good morning,
Just wanted to flag these remarks for you one more time. And to clarify what’s written below, today’s healthcare vote (currently slated for 2:30 PM EST) is the procedural vote to begin debate. The vote, called a vote on the motion to proceed, requires 50 votes and if successful will open floor debate on Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. A vote against the motion to proceed is a filibuster. If this vote is successful, Republican leadership has signaled that the Senate will debate multiple healthcare proposals and hold a robust amendment process to ensure all Senator’s views are considered fully.
It is exceptionally rare for members to vote against motions to proceed for their own party’s legislation, but the dynamic over the last few weeks has been for Republican Senators to preemptively announce to the media that they will filibuster their own party’s bill because it did not reflect their priorities. On that point, Senator Hatch has previously said "We are all clear on the consequences should we fail to act: Obamacare enshrined and eventually single-payer and socialized medicine, which will bankrupt America. We have promised to do better, and no Republican concern should ever be enough to filibuster our own bill." As you’ll see in the remarks below, Senator Hatch’s position has consistently been that we should have a debate on the floor.
Please let us know if you have any questions, or if we can provide any other helpful clarity.
Thanks
Matt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2017
Media Contact:
Matt Whitlock: (202) 224-4511
Jenna Barratt: (202) 224-5255
Video: Ahead of Healthcare Procedural Vote, Hatch Urges Colleagues to Allow Floor Debate
“If you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should at the very least want to have a debate on this bill. Under the rules we’ll have an open amendment process, members will get a chance to have their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.”
Washington, D.C.—Today the Senate will hold a procedural vote on whether or not to begin floor debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare. The Senate will not be voting on passage for a specific bill, but will be opening debate in which the Senate will consider and vote on a number of healthcare proposals in a thorough debate and amendment process. Among those proposals that will be the 2015 “clean repeal” bill, which Hatch wrote with the Senate Finance Committee, and an updated version of the Better Care Restoration Act, which was discussed last week (and has since been updated).
A number of Republican Senators have previously announced opposition to even beginning debate on their bills, and Senator Hatch addressed that issue in brief remarks on the Senate floor. Senator Hatch’s remarks on the floor echoed those by Vice President Mike Pence, who told KUTV last week, “We’re calling on every member of the Senate in both political parties to start the process, to begin the debate, to begin the work to give the American people a fresh start to repeal and replace Obamacare.”
“If you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should at the very least want to have a debate on this bill. Under the rules we’ll have an open amendment process, members will get a chance to have their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.”
The Senator’s full remarks:
The next vote on this legislation will presumably be whether to let the Senate proceed to the bill. Regardless of your position on this particular draft, if you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should, at the very least, want to have a debate on this bill.
Under the rules, we’ll have an open amendment process. Members will get a chance to make their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.
Keep in mind, Mr. President, virtually every Republican in this body has supported the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare more or less since the day it was signed into law. We’ve all made promises to our constituents along those lines. This legislation, while far from perfect, would fulfill the vast majority of those promises.
If we pass up this opportunity, we’re looking at further collapse of health insurance markets, which means dramatically higher premiums and even fewer healthcare options for our constituents. And, make no mistake, Mr. President, while some are talking about a bipartisan solution to prop up markets in the event this bill fails, there is no magic elixir or silver bullet that will make that an easy proposition.
But, one thing I’ve learned in my 40 years in the Senate is that, people who demand purity and perfection when it comes to legislation usually end up disappointed and rarely accomplish anything productive. That’s particularly true when we’re talking about complex policy matters.
Good morning,
Just wanted to flag these remarks for you one more time. And to clarify what’s written below, today’s healthcare vote (currently slated for 2:30 PM EST) is the procedural vote to begin debate. The vote, called a vote on the motion to proceed, requires 50 votes and if successful will open floor debate on Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. A vote against the motion to proceed is a filibuster. If this vote is successful, Republican leadership has signaled that the Senate will debate multiple healthcare proposals and hold a robust amendment process to ensure all Senator’s views are considered fully.
It is exceptionally rare for members to vote against motions to proceed for their own party’s legislation, but the dynamic over the last few weeks has been for Republican Senators to preemptively announce to the media that they will filibuster their own party’s bill because it did not reflect their priorities. On that point, Senator Hatch has previously said "We are all clear on the consequences should we fail to act: Obamacare enshrined and eventually single-payer and socialized medicine, which will bankrupt America. We have promised to do better, and no Republican concern should ever be enough to filibuster our own bill." As you’ll see in the remarks below, Senator Hatch’s position has consistently been that we should have a debate on the floor.
Please let us know if you have any questions, or if we can provide any other helpful clarity.
Thanks
Matt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2017
Media Contact:
Matt Whitlock: (202) 224-4511
Jenna Barratt: (202) 224-5255
Video: Ahead of Healthcare Procedural Vote, Hatch Urges Colleagues to Allow Floor Debate
“If you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should at the very least want to have a debate on this bill. Under the rules we’ll have an open amendment process, members will get a chance to have their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.”
Washington, D.C.—Today the Senate will hold a procedural vote on whether or not to begin floor debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare. The Senate will not be voting on passage for a specific bill, but will be opening debate in which the Senate will consider and vote on a number of healthcare proposals in a thorough debate and amendment process. Among those proposals that will be the 2015 “clean repeal” bill, which Hatch wrote with the Senate Finance Committee, and an updated version of the Better Care Restoration Act, which was discussed last week (and has since been updated).
A number of Republican Senators have previously announced opposition to even beginning debate on their bills, and Senator Hatch addressed that issue in brief remarks on the Senate floor. Senator Hatch’s remarks on the floor echoed those by Vice President Mike Pence, who told KUTV last week, “We’re calling on every member of the Senate in both political parties to start the process, to begin the debate, to begin the work to give the American people a fresh start to repeal and replace Obamacare.”
“If you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should at the very least want to have a debate on this bill. Under the rules we’ll have an open amendment process, members will get a chance to have their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.”
The Senator’s full remarks:
The next vote on this legislation will presumably be whether to let the Senate proceed to the bill. Regardless of your position on this particular draft, if you support the larger effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, you should, at the very least, want to have a debate on this bill.
Under the rules, we’ll have an open amendment process. Members will get a chance to make their preferences known and to have the Senate vote on them. Taking that opportunity is the very least we can do.
Keep in mind, Mr. President, virtually every Republican in this body has supported the effort to repeal and replace Obamacare more or less since the day it was signed into law. We’ve all made promises to our constituents along those lines. This legislation, while far from perfect, would fulfill the vast majority of those promises.
If we pass up this opportunity, we’re looking at further collapse of health insurance markets, which means dramatically higher premiums and even fewer healthcare options for our constituents. And, make no mistake, Mr. President, while some are talking about a bipartisan solution to prop up markets in the event this bill fails, there is no magic elixir or silver bullet that will make that an easy proposition.
But, one thing I’ve learned in my 40 years in the Senate is that, people who demand purity and perfection when it comes to legislation usually end up disappointed and rarely accomplish anything productive. That’s particularly true when we’re talking about complex policy matters.
