AMERICA MUCH TOO SOON. >>> YIKES.
SUPPORT AMONG THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS ON THE HEALTH CARE BILL
APPEARS TO BE WAVERING. "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL" FINDS
OPPOSITIONS BY THOSE WHO FEEL LEFT IN THE DARK BY THE PROCESS.
AFTER HEARING DETAILS SENATOR RAND PAUL SAID I PROMISED VOTERS
I WOULD VOTE TO REPEAL OBAMACARE.
EVERYTHING SOUND LIKE OBAMACARE LIGHT.
SHE'S JOINED BY MIKE LEE, TOM COTTON AND TED CRUZ.
MEANWHILE THE SENATORS FROM WEST VIRGINIA AND OHIO BOTH FROM
STATES THAT EXPANDED HEALTH CARE UNDER OBAMACARE, ALONG CAN W
SUSAN COLLINS FROM MAINE HAVE EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT THE
ROLL BACK. PORTMAN AND COP TOE HAVE BEEN
PUSHING FAR TREATMENT FOR OPIOID ADDICTION WHICH WAS NOT IN THE
DRAFT CIRCULATING YESTERDAY. IT SEEMS STUNNING GIVEN THE
NUMBERS IN THIS COUNTRY. JOINING US FROM CAPITOL HILL,
ANOTHER SENATOR WITH HIS OWN CONCERNS.
CHAIRMAN OF THE HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE, RON JOHNSON
OF WISCONSIN, WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS?
>> WELL, LET ME READ YOU A QUOTE.
YOU'VE GOT THIS CRAZY SYSTEM WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN 25 MILLION
MORE PEOPLE HAVE HEALTH CARE, AND THEN THE PEOPLE OUT THERE
BUSTING IT SOMETIMES 60 HOURS A WEEK WIND UP WITH THEIR PREMIUMS
DOUBLED AND THEIR COVERAGE CUT IN HALF.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, A SYSTEM THAT DID NOT WORK WHERE
PREMIUMS ON THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET HAVE DOUBLED IN SOME
CASES TRIPLED. WE'RE 20 TRILLION IN DEBT.
CBO SAYS OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS ANOTHER $129 TRILLION OF DEBT.
IT'S NOT EASY TO DEAL WITH THE SYSTEM.
THE BROAD SPECTRUM WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE IN TERMS
OF GETTING IT UNDER CONTROL IS DIFFICULT.
FROM MY STANDPOINT, WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING, WE SHOULD BE
REPAIRING THE DAMAGE DONE BY OBAMACARE AND WORKING WITH OUR
DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES TO TRANSITION TO A SYSTEM THAT DOES
WORK. THE RESTRAINS, THE GROWTH IN
HEALTH CARE COSTS, BRINGS DOWN THE PREMIUMS DRIVEN HIGHER AND
WORKS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. I'D LOVE TO DO THAT IN A
BIPARTISAN FASHION. HOPEFULLY ONCE WE GET PAST THIS
PHASE AND WE DO, BY THE WAY, NEED TO STABILIZE THE COLLAPSING
INSURANCE MARKETS COLLAPSING BECAUSE OF OBAMACARE.
I'VE BEEN SUGGESTING TO DO THAT THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
I'M GOING TO NEED ENOUGH TIME TO FIND OUT WHAT'S IN THE BILL AND
FIND OUT IF IT'S CONTINUE USE IMPROVEMENT FROM TODAY.
>> I THINK A LOT OF DEMOCRATS AGREE OBAMACARE NEEDS
IMPROVEMENTS FOR SURE, BUT THE REALITY NOW WITH THIS PROCESS,
WHAT IS POSSIBLE? >> WELL, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO
HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS FIRST.
I DIDN'T AGREE THAT WE SHOULD AUTOMATICALLY DO THIS
RECONCILIATION. I THINK WE SHOULD REACH OUT TO
OUR DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES AND POINT OUT THE REALITY AND SAY
THIS IS BROKEN. PRESIDENT CLINTON SAID IT'S A
CRAZY SYSTEM. LET'S FIX IT.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, THAT WASN'T THE DECISION
MADE. WE DID RECONCILIATION BY
OURSELVES. HERE WE ARE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
WHATEVER WE PASS IS NOT GOING TO SOLVE THE ENTIRE PROBLEM.
IT MIGHT BE BETTER. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE BETTER.
IT'S THE ONLY WAY I'LL VOTE YES. THEN WE'LL REACH OUT TO
DEMOCRATIC COLLEAGUES AND HOPEFULLY FIX IT LONG TERM.
>> I HAVE A A FEW SIMPLE QUESTIONS.
HAVE YOU SEEN THE BILL? >> NO.
BUT I'VE BEEN IN THE ROOM, AND I UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES BEING
DISCUSSED. SOMEBODY HAS TO WRITE THE BILL
AND PUT DOWN THE BASELINE LEGISLATIVE TEXT.
THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO SHOW
PEOPLE. WHAT I'VE BEEN INSISTING, I NEED
ENOUGH TIME, MY CONSTITUENTS NEED ENOUGH TIME TO PROVIDE
INPUT BEFORE I PROVIDE A YES VOTE.
>> YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT AND OTHER SENATORS HAVEN'T READ IT BECAUSE
YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT UNTIL ACCOUNT THIS MORNING.
WHAT DO YOU SAY THIS WEEKEND OR ANY WEEKEND WHEN YOU'RE WALKING
AROUND WISCONSIN AND SOMEONE COMES UP TO YOU AND SAYS HAVE
YOU SEEN THE BILL J RON? AND YOU SAY NO, I HAVEN'T SEEN
THE BILL, AND THEN THEY SAY, WELL, AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO SEE
THE BILL? YOU'RE A UNITED STATES SENATOR.
HOW COME YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT? >> BECAUSE IT'S JUST BEEN
WRITTEN, AND IT'S GOING TO BE RELEASED TODAY.
NOW WE'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT.
I'LL INSIST WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO SATISFY MYSELF AND GET THE
INPUT FROM MY CONSTITUENTS THAT IN THE END I BELIEVE THIS IS
IMPROVEMENT WITH THE CRAZIEST SYSTEM IN THE WORLD AS PRESIDENT
CLINTON WAS TALKING ABOUT. >> BECAUSE IT'S THE CRAZIEST
SYSTEM IN THE WORLD, DON'T YOU THINK IN TERMS OF DUE DILIGENCE
THAT YOU, YOU ARE ALLOWED, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE
OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY IT AND HAVE COMMENTS ON IT ALL THE WAY
THROUGH THE PROCESS RATHER THAN HAVE A CLOCK NOW PUT ON THE VOTE
THAT YOU'RE GOING TO CAST? >> WELL, I DON'T AGREE WITH THE
CLOCK. WE'LL SEE HOW THE PROCESS
UNFIELDS UNDER THIS POINT. BUT I WILL NOT VOTE YES UNTIL
I'M SATISFIED THIS PUTS US IN A BETTER PLACE TOMORROW THAN WE
ARE TODAY. >> SENATOR JOHNSON, GOOD TO SEE
YOU THIS MORNING. YOU'VE BEEN OPEN ABOUT THE
OPIOID CRISIS AFFECTING YOUR FAMILY.
YOU LOST A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY TO AN OVERDOSE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE INCLUDING REPUBLICANS CONCERNED
THAT THE ROLLBACK OF MEDICAID WILL PREVENT FUNDING FOR OPIOID
COVERAGE. THAT PLACES RAVAGED BY THIS
EPIDEMIC WILL NO LONGER GET THEIR CARE.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL THOSE PEOPLE? >> THIS IS AN UNBELIEVABLE
CRISIS WE'RE IN. I'VE BEEN UP FRONT.
WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THE DEMAND SIDE THROUGH A CONCERTED
LONG-TERM PR EFFORT, EDUCATION EFFORT LIKE WE HAVE WITH
TOBACCO. THIS IS GOING TO SPAN DECADES.
I KEEP HEARING ABOUT CUTS IN MEDICAID.
I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS YET, BUT WHAT I'VE SEEN, AGAIN, I
PROBABLY DEFINE CUTS DIFFERENTLY.
CUTS TO ME IS ACTUALLY REDUCTION IN SPENDING FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS PROPOSING ANY CUTS.
I DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY IS PROPOSING TAKING ANYBODY OFF
MEDICAID. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CAPPING
ENROLLMENT AT SOME POINT IN TIME IN THE FUTURE.
I THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF RHETORIC, BUT LET'S GET THE
INFORMATION. LET'S GET THE NUMBERS.
I COME FROM A MANUFACTURING BACKGROUND.
GENERALLY A PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS COMES WITH DEFINING THE
PROBLEM. IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S THE LAST
STEP HERE. I DON'T THINK THAT'S A GOOD
PROCESS. I'M GOING TO DEMAND THE
INFORMATION BEFORE I MAKE MY DECISION.
>> SENATOR, THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE GOVERNOR JOHN KASICH WHO
SAID THEY CAN'T AFFORD THE LOSE THE MEDICAID ROLL BACK.
DO YOU BELIEVE IF IT PASSES WITH THE ROLLBACK ALL THE PEOPLE
COVERED NOW WILL SOMEHOW GET COVERAGE INBETWEEN, THE PEOPLE
INCLUDING PEOPLE IN YOUR FAMILY WHO REQUIRE OPIOID COVERAGE?
>> WELL, WILLIE, I COME FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
I'VE BEEN HERE SIX YEARS. I HAVE YET TO SEE A PROBLEM
WHERE WE HAVE A HEARING AND A SOLUTION FROM A GOVERNMENT
WITNESS ISN'T MORE SPENDING. THAT ISN'T ALWAYS A SOLUTION.
THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO DO. I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO
BE CUTTING SPENDING. WE MAY BE RESTRAINING THE GROWTH
IN SPENDING SO WE DON'T CONTINUE TO MORTGAGE OUR CHILDREN'S
FUTURE. UNSUSTAINABLE SPENDING.
WE'RE TRYING TO DO A LITTLE BIT J JUST A LITTLE BIT OF
ENTITLEMENT CONTROLLING SO WE MAKE MEDICAID SUSTAINABLE IN THE
FUTURE. IF YOU THINK THE GREAT RECESSION
WAS BAD WHEN THE HOUSING BUBBLE BURSTS, WAIT UNTIL THE DEBT
BUBBLE BURSTS. THAT'S AN ANVIL THAT HANGS OVER
MY HEAD. WE'RE MORTGAGING OUR CHILDREN'S
FUTURE. .
>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXISTING SPENDING WITH MEDICAID.
THEY ENJOY UNDER THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
CAN YOU GUARANTEE UNDER THE PROPOSED PLAN THAT THOSE PEOPLE
WILL BE TAKEN CARE OF
IMMEDIATELY? >> FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, I DON'T
SEE ANY CUT IN SPENDING WHERE THERE'S A REDUCTION YEAR OVER
YEAR. YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT OBAMACARE
WHICH IS BASICALLY MEDICAID IN THE HOSTAGE -- THE INDIVIDUAL
MARKETS ARE COLLAPSING BECAUSE OF THE SOCIAL COSTS PUT ON A
VERY SMALL POPULATION. WE'VE GOT TO ANALYZE IT AND DO
THE ROOT CAUSE. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE
FORGOTTEN MEN AND WOMEN, PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN WHO ALWAYS HAS
HEALTH CARE COVERAGE BUT THEY WORK HARD.
THEY MAKE MONEY. THEY DON'T QUALIFY FOR
SUBSIDIES. NOW THEY'RE WITHOUT INSURANCE
BECAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD IT BECAUSE OF OBAMACARE.
THOSE ARE THE FORGOTTEN MEN AND WOMEN I'M CONCERNED ABOUT, AND
I'M CONCERNED THE SENATE BILL DIDN'T DO ENOUGH TO BRING DOWN
THE PREMIUMS THAT WERE ARTIFICIALLY INCREASED BECAUSE
OF THE MARKET DISTORTIONS CAUSED BY OBAMACARE.
>> I FEEL LIKE WE'RE PLAYING A GAME OF SEMANTICS.
THE CBO STATES THE HOUSE BILL WOULD SEE AN $800 BILLION
REDUCTION IN MEDICAID SPENDING OVER THE COURSE OF A DECADE.
YOU COULD CALL IT A CUT OR A RECOUNTING CHANGE, BUT IT IS
WHAT IT IS. IT'S NOT MY QUESTION.
MY QUESTION IS FROM WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND OF THE SENATE BILL,
AND I KNOW YOUR UNDERSTANDING IS PRELIMINARY AND WHAT YOU'VE SEEN
ABOUT THE HOUSE BILL WHICH LEGISLATIVE LANGUAGE IS
PRODUCED, CAN YOU POINT TO ONE THING IN EITHER OF THE
LEGISLATIONS THAT WOULD ACTUALLY HELP US FIGHT THIS OPIOID
EPIDEMIC? >> LET ME POINT OUT WHAT WE DID
IN WISCONSIN. WE DID NOT DO MEDICAID
EXPANSION. INSTEAD THE GOVERNOR WENT FOR A
WAIVER. WE COVERED EVERY WISCONSIN
PERSON UNDER THE POVERTY LINE. WE WENT FROM ACCORDING TO
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES, WE WENT FROM ABOUT 94%
OF WISCONSIN PEOPLE UP TO 96%. WISCONSIN WE HAD OURSELVES
PRETTY WELL COVERED. WE HAVE OURSELVES PRETTY WELL
COVERED NOW WITHOUT THE MEDICAID EXPANSION.
EVERY REPUBLICAN SENATOR THAT I'M AWARE OF VOWED AND TOLD
THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND GOT ELECTED ON THE BASIS THEY WERE
GOING TO REPEAL THIS MONSTROSITY OF OBAMACARE, THE CRAZIEST
SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. >> WHAT ABOUT THE QUESTION ABOUT
OPIOIDS? WHAT ABOUT MY QUESTION ABOUT
ANYTHING SPECIFIC IN EITHER OF THE LEGISLATIONS, THE HOUSE BILL
OR THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE SENATE BILL, CAN YOU POINT TO
ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO HELP ADDRESS THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC.
>> WE PASSED A BILL THAT PROVIDES FUNDING FOR DIFFERENT
TYPES OF PROJECTS. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PILOT
PROGRAMS TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS PROGRAM.
BUT JUST SPENDING MONEY DOES NOT NECESSARILY SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
I THINK IN TEMPLES OF THE OPIOID PROCESS, WE NEED A LONG-TERM PR
AND EDUCATION EFFORT. THIS GOES INTO OUR SCHOOLS, AND
WE SPEND A LOT OF MONEY ON SCHOOLS AS WELL.
>> SENATOR, BEFORE YOU GO, YOUR HOMELAND SECURITY, BUT HOMELAND
SECURITY SECRETARY TESTIFIED BEFORE ANOTHER COMMITTEE
YESTERDAY CLEARLY ACCEPTING, ADDRESSING, AND CERTAIN THAT
RUSSIA TRIED TO HACK THE ELECTION, RUSSIA TRIED TO DO A
LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS TO IMPACT THE ELECTION.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT AND DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT
SHOULD ADDRESS AND ACCEPT THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED.
>> RUSSIA HAS BEEN DOING THIS AROUND THE WORLD.
TAKE A LOOK JUST WATCH THE TRIAL IN -- THIS DIDN'T SURPRISE ME AT
ALL. I WAS ONE OF THE SENATORS
BRIEFED PRIOR TO THE ELECTION BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
INCLUDING JEH JOHNSON AND JAMES COMEY, AND THEY TOLD US, AND THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC KNEW BECAUSE IT WAS REPORTED THAT RUSSIA HACKED
INTO THE DNC. BASICALLY THE RESULT, ENI'M NOT
GOING TO SAY WHAT WAS SAID IN THE SECURE BRIEF OTHER THAN TO
TELL YOU THE ADMINISTRATION WAS ASKING US TO CONVEY THEY HAD IT
COVERED. THEY WERE AWARE OF IT.
CONTROLS WERE IN PLACE. AND THE ELECTION WOULD CARRY
FORWARD. >> SO IF YOU'RE NOT SURPRISED BY
THIS -- >> GO AHEAD.
>> THEN YOU CERTAINLY MUST UNDERSTAND HOW DEEPLY CONCERNING
THIS IS? >> YES.
>> DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT SHOULD ACCEPT AND ADDRESS THE
FACT THAT THIS IS HAPPENING? >> WE ALL MUST.
AND WE HELD A HEARING JUST AHEAD IN OUR HOMELAND SECURITY
COMMITTEE ABOUT CYBER SECURITY. >> WHY DON'T YOU THINK HE DOES?
>> YOU'LL HAVE TO ASK THE PRESIDENT.
I TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. WE HELD OUR SIXTH HEARING ON
CYBER SECURITY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE OVERREGULATION IN TERMS
OF GOVERNMENT TRYING TO HELP BUSINESSES PROTECT THEIR CYBER
ASSETS. 40% OF THEIR TIME IS SPENT
COMPLYING WITH FEDERAL REGULATIONS.
WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THAT REGULATORY BURDENEN SO
BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT CAN SPEND MOST THE
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