Senator Chris Murphy: I Have A Desire To Compromise On Health Bill | Morning Joe

>>> JOINING US A MEMBER OF THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE,
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY FROM CONNECTICUT.
SENATOR, YOU WERE VOWING TO TRY TO PUNCH BACK WITH THIS HEALTH
CARE BILL OFFERING UP TO 100 AMENDMENTS.
IS IT A DELAY TACTIC, MAYBE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE QUESTION,
WOULDN'T YOU WANT TO TRY TO MAKE IT BETTER AS OPPOSED TO MUCK UP
THE PROCESS MORE. >> I HOPE THEY PASS AND MAKE THE
BILL BETTER. DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN SHUT OUT OF
THIS PROCESS. THIS HAPPENED BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS. THERE IS NO COMMITTEE PROCESS
AND NO HEARINGS SO THE ONLY OPPORTUNITY THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE
TO TRY TO MAKE THIS BILL BETTER IS WITH AMENDMENTS ON THE FLOOR.
BACK IN 2009-2010 REPUBLICANS OFFERED HUNDREDS OF AMENDMENTS
IN THE COMMITTEE PROCESS. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE
VOTING ON. WE MAY BE SHOWN THE BILL WITH
ONLY A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THE FINAL VOTE, SO I DON'T APOLOGIZE
FOR THE FACT WE MAY HAVE TO OFFER A HANDFUL OF AMENDMENTS
ONCE THE FINAL BILL IS SHOWN SO WE CAN GIVE TIME FOR MEMBERS OF
THE SENATE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON AND GIVE TIME
FOR OUR CONSTITUENTS TO STOP THIS THING.
THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED. I THINK IT'S OKAY TO USE SOME
UNPRECEDENTED TACTICS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE VOTING ON.
>> KASIE HUNT? >> SENATOR, I TAKE YOUR POINT
THAT THERE WERE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE PROCESS WHEN THE ACA WAS
PASSED AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON RIGHT NOW BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
THIS WAS PUSHED THROUGH WITH EXCLUSIVELY DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT
IN THE END. DIDN'T YOU BRING THIS ON
YOURSELF TO A CERTAIN EXTENT AND SET UP WHAT ARE NOW THESE
ENTRENCHED POLITICS AROUND HEALTH CARE?
>> THAT'S CERTAINLY WHAT MITCH McCONNELL WOULD LIKE FOLKS TO
BELIEVE, BUT THERE AREN'T SOME SMALL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE
PROCESS IN 2009 AND THE PROCESS THIS YEAR.
THERE WAS A FULL COMMITTEE PROCESS IN WHICH EVERY
REPUBLICAN IN 2009, 2010 IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE GOT TO SEE
THE BILL AHEAD OF TIME, GOT TO OFFER AMENDMENTS.
THE CBO SCORE CAME OUT A MONTH AHEAD OF TIME.
THERE WAS 30 DAYS OF DEBATE IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
THIS IS TOTAL MYTHOLOGY, THE IDEA OF THE ACA WAS RAMMED
THROUGH, 30 DAYS OF CONSECUTIVE DEBATE IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE WHERE THE BILL WAS OUT THERE FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE.
THIS IS NOT A SMALL DIFFERENCE. THIS SAY DECISION THAT'S BEEN
MADE BY MITCH McCONNELL TO RAM THIS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE
NIGHT AND LET'S REMIND OURSELVES AS WE SIT HERE TODAY TALKING WE
HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'LL BE VOTING ON.
THEY'LL UNVEIL A BILL IN THE MIDDLE OF TONIGHT, TOMORROW
NIGHT AND ASK SENATORS TO VOTE ON A BRAND NEW BILL THAT LOOKS
NOTHING LIKE THE BILLS WE'VE BEEN SEEING BEFORE WITH A COUPLE
HOURS NOTICE. THAT BEARS NO RESEMBLANCE TO THE
PROCESS IN 2009-2010. I WISH WE HAD REPUBLICAN VOTES
BUT AT LEAST WE WENT THROUGH AN EXHAUSTIVE PROCESS TO TRY TO GET
THEM. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN AN IOTA OF
WORK TO TRY TO MAKE THIS BIPARTISAN.
>> JOE? >> SENATOR, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
DO YOU THINK THE REPUBLIEPUBLIC FIND 50 VOTES TO PASS A BILL
THAT'S EXTRAORDINARILY UNPOPULAR WITH MOST AMERICANS?
>> WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO THROW A
DIFFERENT BILL UP AGAINST THE WALL EVERY PROBABLY SIX TO EIGHT
HOURS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND HOPE THAT ONE OF THEM STICKS.
THEY TRIED THE SENATE BILL LAST NIGHT, THE ONE THEY CRAFTED IN
BEHIND CLOSED DOOR WORKING GROUPS.
FAILED MISERABLY. WE HEAR THEY'LL TRY LATER TO
PASS A REPEAL BILL RAND PAUSE WANTS, THAT WILL LIKELY WANT.
MY WORRY THEY BULLY THESE GUYS INTO DELIVERING 50 VOTES.
THAT WILL BE TERRIBLE FOR THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE IT WILL
UNININSURE 15 TO 25 MILLION PEOPLE AND TERRIBLE FOR THEM,
TOO. >> WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE,
SENATOR IN DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THEY'RE GETTING CLOSE TO 50 ON
THESE VOTES FOR THE ACTUAL BILLS.
WHAT DOES THAT BILL LOOK LIKE THAT GETS 50 VOTES?
>> SO THE SCUTTLEBUTT IS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO EVENTUALLY
OFFER A DRAMATICALLY WINNOWED DOWN VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL
BILL, MAYBE TWO OR THREE PROVISIONS IN THE ENTIRE BILL
AND JUST PUNT. LISTEN, GUYS, WE HAVE TO GET A
BILL TO CONFERENCE WITH THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
LET'S SCRIBBLE DOWN A FEW WORDS AND TRY TO PASS IT OFF AS A
PROCEDURAL VOTE AND WE'LL HAVE THE BIG NEGOTIATIONS IN THE
CONFERENCE WITH THE HOUSE. THAT WOULD BE A TOTAL SURRENDER,
AN ABD INDICATION TO THE HOUSE BILL, AND THE RESULT WOULD BE IN
CONFERENCE THE HOUSE BILL WITH MAYBE A COUPLE MINOR AMENDMENTS
WOULD SURVIVE, AND THAT BILL OF COURSE IS TERRIBLE FOR PEOPLE
WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS, SO THAT SEEMS TO BE THEIR ONLY PATH
NOW BECAUSE THEYTHEY CAN'T FIND VOTES FOR ANY COMPREHENSIVE
REPLACEMENT OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT.
>> SENATOR MURPHY THIS IS EDDIE BLUNT.
WHAT DO YOU TAKE THE ANIMATING COMMITMENT BEHIND THE REPUBLICAN
BILL? I'VE BEEN ASKING THIS QUESTION
OVER AND OVER. SECOND, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR
TO YOU WORK IN A BIPARTISAN WAY WITH REPUBLICANS TO FIX THE ACA,
IF WE COME TO THAT? >> LISTEN, AT THIS POINT I THINK
IT'S CLEAR THAT THE COMMITMENT IS A HATRED OF BARACK OBAMA.
POLICY HAS BEEN PUSHED TO THE WAYSIDE HERE.
THEY DON'T SEEM TREMENDOUSLY INTERESTED IN CRAFTING SOMETHING
THAT ENSURES MORE PEOPLE OR REDUCES RATES.
THEY JUST WANT TO FULFILL THIS COMMITMENT THAT THEY MADE TO
REPEAL OBAMACARE AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO REALLY CARE WHAT'S ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT. I'VE BEEN CLEAR ABOUT MY DESIRE
TO WORK WITH THEM AND COMPROMISE.
THEY WANT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL FLEXIBILITY OF BENEFIT DESIGN,
THEY WANT SOMETHING WITH CHEAPER PREMIUMS AND LESS REGULATIONS IN
THESE EXCHANGES. I'M WILLING TO GIVE THEM
FLEXIBILITY OF BENEFIT DESIGN IF THEY'RE WILLING TO GIVE US SOME
SECURITY ON THESE EXCHANGES THAT DONALD TRUMP WON'T UNWIND THEM.
THERE IS A LEGITIMATE COMPROMISE TO BE HAD HERE AND I THINK
DEMOCRATS ARE WILLING TO BEND BUT THEY HAVE TO THROW OUT THIS
PROCESS, AND COME AND WORK WITH US IN REGULAR

Senator Chris Murphy: I Have A Desire To Compromise On Health Bill | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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