'Chairman, The Congress Does Not Work!': Sanders And Cassidy Spar Over Amendments In Tense Hearing

[0:00] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would say that I agree with one point that you made. The [0:06] American people certainly are frustrated with Congress. I think we are somewhere ahead of Iran [0:15] right now in terms of favorability, but not by much. And why is that? The reason for that is [0:24] that all over this country, people are hurting. And I don't know about my Republican colleagues, [0:30] who I think the answer will be the same, but I do talk to a lot of Democratic candidates. [0:35] And they tell me that we're out there on the campaign trail in the whole town meetings. [0:40] The issue that comes up probably more often than anything else is the understanding that our [0:46] health care system today is broken, it is dysfunctional, and it is wildly expensive. [0:53] And the American people are saying, does anybody in Congress know that? Do they know that I can't [1:00] afford to send my kid to a doctor? I can't afford prescription drugs for my parents. [1:07] So today, the so-called, let me say a word about the so-called poison pills that I will be offering [1:16] to address some, some of the crises that we face. And I want the American people to decide whether or not [1:26] these, they think these are poison pills, outrageously bipartisan efforts trying to sabotage [1:32] the work of the chairman. For a start, as bad as our overall health care system is, and by the way, [1:42] as everybody on this committee knows, we spend twice as much per capita on health care as the people of [1:47] any other nation, over $15,000, and yet 85 million Americans are uninsured, underinsured, some 60,000 [1:55] people a year die because they can't afford to go to a doctor. Maybe we want to be addressing that issue. [2:02] Now, as bad as the overall health care system is, the primary health care system is in even worse shape. [2:11] In America today, tens of millions of people live in communities where they cannot find a doctor, [2:18] a dentist, or a psychologist, even when they have decent insurance. I know that's true in Vermont, [2:25] I suspect that it's true in every state in this country. And if we do not get our act together, [2:34] given the enormous shortage of doctors, dentists, and psychologists we have right now, [2:40] the situation will only get worse in the future. We are facing a shortage of 400,000 nurses over the [2:48] next two years alone. So, Mr. Chairman, you think this is a poison pill that we talk about, the need to [2:55] make sure that we have nurses and doctors all over this country. It doesn't seem to me to be a poison pill. [3:01] It seems to me to be something we should have addressed years ago, and we should address now. [3:06] Over the next 12 years, we face a shortage of 180,000 doctors and 400,000 mental health practitioners, [3:14] while over 60 million Americans live in districts where they can't find a dentist. Every major medical [3:22] organization agrees that our investment in primary health care is woefully inadequate, and I suspect [3:27] that every member of this committee understands that as well. There is a reason why most other major [3:33] countries spend over twice as much as we do on primary health care and end up with far lower [3:39] capital costs than we do. They invest in keeping people healthy, keeping them out of emergency rooms, [3:46] out of the hospital, and that makes sense to me. The backbone of our current primary health care system, [3:54] as weak as it is, is the federally qualified community health center program, the FQHC program, [4:00] an issue that I have worked on for many years. Today, more than 30 million men, women, and children [4:06] receive high-quality primary health care at community health centers in more than 16,000 neighborhoods [4:12] located in every state in America. Many of these centers also provide dental care, [4:18] mental health counseling, and low-cost prescription drugs. Unfortunately, George Washington University [4:24] projects that community health centers will lose nearly $42 billion in revenue over the next five [4:30] years. So, Mr. Chairman, if you think it's a poison pill that we begin to address that issue right now, [4:38] I would respectfully disagree. The National Association of Community Health Centers estimates [4:44] that health centers will see an increase of 4 million uninsured patients in the coming years. [4:51] And that is why, Mr. Chairman, the first amendment I will be proposing would increase community health [4:55] center funding from $4.6 billion this year to $5.8 billion next year. Given the fact that a majority [5:02] of senators on this committee have already voted in favor of this funding level, I hope it will pass. [5:07] But that's not the only amendment that I'm going to offer. This amendment would also provide loan [5:12] forgiveness and scholarships so that we get more doctors and nurses into underserved areas. [5:17] Mr. Chairman, this amendment would provide $120 million over a three-year period so that every [5:25] state in America has a teaching health center in their state. Teaching health center is an enormously [5:30] important way to make sure that we have doctors and nurses in rural areas. So, Mr. Chairman, I do not [5:39] agree with you that these are poison pills. I would say that every amendment that I am offering is widely [5:44] supported by the American people, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. I hope you will support them. [5:49] Mr. Chairman, a couple of things for clarity. You said that you're sabotaging the work of the chairman. [5:54] Actually, this is the work of our colleagues. Bipartisan work of our colleagues. These amendments are not [5:59] germane and they were filed Tuesday. Now, there's a process. A process by which there's full consideration [6:05] of a bill of an amendment that comes before us, and then we take that processed amendment so that we [6:11] all understand it. We all have an ability to understand it. If you drop a non-germane amendment, [6:17] which, by the way, is not paid for two days beforehand, you're going to have histrionics about [6:22] how millionaires and billionaires are ripping off the American people. But there's a process here, [6:26] and the Congress works better as a process. Mr. Chairman, did I get these amendments in on time [6:30] according to the process? Absolutely. And are they paid for? Are they paid for, Senator Sanders? [6:35] They will be paid for. They will be paid for. Well, let's work on it. [6:38] Yeah, that's right. In the future. Let's work on it. Let's work on it. [6:41] We actually are going to have a hearing in July in which we can pay for it, and I told you that, [6:45] and that's when we're going to do this. And that's the way that Congress is supposed to work, [6:49] and that is fair to the American people, not moonbeams and flatists somehow finding a way to pay for [6:54] things. Chairman, the Congress does not work. Well, clearly it's not working with that, [6:58] but it can work, and that's my mission.