Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026
Floor Speech
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Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, shortly, I will move to table amendment No. 3947 for the purposes of offering my amendment to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for 1 year. I am doing this because my Republican colleagues are refusing to act to stop healthcare premiums from doubling for over 20 million Americans.
I just can't stand by without a fight. Americans have said loudly and clearly that they are in a healthcare crisis. That is not up for a negotiation. But it didn't have to be this way. We are at this moment because Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have simply refused to address the biggest increase in insurance premiums they will likely ever experience.
For months, congressional Republicans and Donald Trump have refused to even talk to us about addressing it. Estimates show that 22 million Americans will see their premiums double on average. I am getting calls daily from Wisconsinites begging me to stay in this fight.
A couple in Door County, WI, told me their premium is rising by $550 a month next year. Everything is already too expensive. So where are they supposed to find 6,500 extra dollars in their budget?
Another couple, from Butternut, WI, told me their premiums are going from $400 per month to over $5,000 per month. That is $55,000 more a year. As they wrote to me, ``healthcare tax breaks are not just numbers on paper. They are a lifeline that allows us to sleep at night, knowing that we won't lose everything if one of us gets sick.''
Behind every one of the 22 million Americans who rely on these tax credits is a story, a family who has to put together a budget, who has to make the hard decisions of what they can afford for their family next year. Some are logging on to healthcare.gov right now and finding that they simply can't afford health insurance next year. That is unconscionable.
Addressing this demands that we act now--not in a week, not next month, but now.
That is why a handshake deal with my Republican colleagues to reopen the government and no guarantee to actually lower costs is simply not good enough. The people I work for need more than that. They need healthcare that they can afford, not a symbolic vote.
For over a year now, I have been fighting to get a bill passed to avoid this very situation and make these tax credits permanent. My colleagues and I have tried every which way to get this bill passed. Every time, my Republican colleagues kill the effort and put 22 million Americans on the path to pay more for healthcare next year.
For 41 days, I have been clear. I will work with anyone to reopen the government and lower Americans' healthcare costs. And I am not throwing in the towel until we have exhausted every option to make that happen.
That is why I have offered an amendment to extend tax breaks for Americans who buy their insurance through the Affordable Care Act for 1 year. My amendment is as straightforward as it gets. It would extend current law for 1 year, stop costs from skyrocketing for constituents, and give us time to negotiate on healthcare costs, without leaving 22 million Americans in the lurch.
Is this everything I think we should do? No. We should make healthcare more affordable for everyone forever. But I am willing to compromise to avoid catastrophe for families I work for.
I am demanding that we take this vote so that we can actually provide some relief to millions of American families. The American people are desperate for healthcare that they can afford and demand that we do everything in our power to lower costs. This is a tool in my toolbox to try to lower their costs. So I am using it.
I have talked to so many of my Republican colleagues who want to do something here, who want to keep healthcare costs down for their constituents, who know their constituents in red States and districts will be hardest hit.
Well, now is the time to show it.
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Ms. BALDWIN. My sincere hope is that the Republicans join me so I can make this amendment to the continuing resolution and let 22 million Americans rest easier. I hope my Republican colleagues choose to join us.
And now I yield to Senator Sanders.
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Ms. BALDWIN. 3947 for the purposes of offering my amendment to extend ACA tax credits for 1 year. That is Baldwin No. 3950.
Vote on Motion
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