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Floor Speech

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Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise today to echo, to underscore, to emphasize what my colleagues have just presented. This is our path forward. This is how we reopen the government and lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans.

This is what compromise looks like. Look, if I had my way, we would be making these enhanced premium tax credits for working families permanent. But I understand that we can't get everything that we want. That is how compromise works, and that is what our constituents expect that we do when we come here.

I know that giving relief for the 275,000 Wisconsinites who are shopping online at healthcare.gov for healthcare, as we speak--I know that this relief is urgent, just like it is urgent that we reopen our government.

I have had so many conversations with my Republican colleagues here in the Senate. I know that so many of them have expressed privately that they are supportive of a 1-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits. They are hearing from their constituents who will no longer be able to afford their healthcare also, just like we are.

So I hope my Republican colleagues can join us in voting to pass this proposal so that we can finally put this shutdown behind us and allow 22 million Americans to rest easier, knowing that their healthcare costs are not going to double, triple, or even worse.

I yield to the Senator from Arizona.

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