CASTRO REMARKS ON GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN & HEALTH CARE IN TEXAS

Washington, D.C. –Congressman Joaquin Castro [TX-20] made the following remarks before the U.S. House of Representatives on the possibility of a government shutdown and to rectify the record on the importance of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Texas:

 

 

 

You can watch Congressman Castro’s remarks by clicking on the image below. 

 

“I, like millions of Americans, hope that there will not be a government shutdown. I hope that we can get past the hostage politics that have prevailed over this place over the last few years. This is no way to run a government. Our nation is the strongest nation on earth. We are the most exceptional nation on earth and these wounds are self-inflicted ones.

 

I’ve said many times, and I’ve heard from my constituents, that all of these fiscal fights, these self-inflicted wounds by Congress—when we get up to the limit, when we’re supposed to pass a budget, or we’re supposed to  raise the debt ceiling limit—all of these fights are causing the nation high blood pressure. They’re affecting the market in negative ways. The stocks are taking a hit. Our employment is taking a hit. In every way this has been bad for the country. I would also remind the members of Congress and the American people about what happened the last time brinkmanship was tried. The last time this happened, the Sequester resulted. A bad way to do business. I think people on both sides of the aisle would agree that the Sequester did not turn out well for our nation. 

Well, that’s the same road we’re headed down again. The Republicans are taking us down the same road that gave us the Sequester, the Budget Control Act—the cuts that were across the board, not targeted, have hurt the military, have hurt education, have hurt healthcare. We’re headed down the same road. 

 

Congressman [Garamendi], when you and I spoke about a month ago here on the floor, I mentioned that in politics you’re often asked, whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, what is it that you stand for? I think, as Democrats, what we believe in is that there are a few things that make this nation great.  First is freedom, because we are a free people. That freedom has been hard-fought for. I come from San Antonio, Texas, Military, U.S.A. The people of San Antonio and the people of Texas know the high price of freedom.

The second is democracy. We are a democratic nation and because we are free, we get to elect our leaders and we get to kick them out of office when we believe that they no longer represent our views and our values. 

But much of the politics of today is really fought over the third principle and value, which is opportunity. 

You see, what is special about this country and is the reason that for years and years people from all over the world have wanted to come to America, is because as Americans, we have come together to build what I call an “infrastructure of opportunity” that enables each of us to pursue our American dreams. I want to remind you of what I mean by that. Just as there is an infrastructure of transportation—a system of streets and highways that helps all of us get to where we want to go on the road—in American society we have built up together an infrastructure of opportunity that enables each of us—or at least helps us—get to where we want to go in life. 

That has to include certain things that are at risk when we get into hostage politics: great public schools and universities, a strong healthcare system so that if you become sick you don’t become debilitated or die, and an economy that’s built around well-paying jobs so that people can support themselves and their family members. 

 

It’s that second part that I mentioned—healthcare—that has been an issue in this debate. 

 

I just want to close by saying this: The junior Senator from Texas, a few days ago talked about how he was speaking for 26 million Texans when he was threatening to shut down the government over the Affordable Care Act, which he derisively calls Obamacare. 

He does not speak for 26 million Texans. The fact is Texas has the highest percentage of people who have no health coverage at all. There are a lot of families who have to take their kids to the emergency room, who are getting letters from their insurance companies because they’ve hit their lifetime cap. They’re getting letters that are denying coverage because they have a preexisting condition. The Affordable Care Act is going to change that. It’s going to be a good thing for our state. 

I would just note that there are a lot of people who are excited and the fact that they are going to have a chance to afford to have insurance. For some of them, they’ll have insurance for the first time in their lives. Even those who have insurance, many of them worry about being denied because of a preexisting condition, about hitting a lifetime cap, or about going bankrupt because of healthcare.”

 

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_fIvGgRTqU