Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want my colleagues to understand that when the Affordable Care Act was adopted, it was adopted for middle- class people who could not afford health insurance. They had no other option. They had nowhere to go. You just would end up without health insurance.

I have constituents coming to me now crying because their insurance is going from $500 a month to $1,500 a month. That is an increase of $1,000 a month. Who could afford that? No one in the middle class.

At the end of 2024 last year during a Democratic administration, the number of insured Americans was at a record high of about 95 percent. Democrats worked for that. Then Trump comes in and the Republicans with their big, ugly bill, and they make cuts to Medicaid, cuts to hospitals and nursing homes, and no funding to extend the ACA tax credits.

What is going to happen? More and more people have no health insurance. That is the bottom line. They will not have health insurance, and the Republicans don't seem to care. I want you to know that the Democrats care, and we will continue to fight for you.

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