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House Republican urges rejection of COVID‑era program extension, cites alleged fraud and CBO premium estimate
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Summary
A House member from Texas urged colleagues to reject extending a COVID‑era health program, citing a Congressional Budget Office estimate that a Republican provision would cut premiums by about 11% and alleging widespread fraud in pandemic‑era eligibility checks.
The gentleman from Texas (a House member) urged colleagues on the floor to reject a proposal to extend a COVID‑era health program, saying a Republican alternative ‘‘would lower premiums by 11% per the Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan Budget Office.’’ He repeatedly characterized the pandemic‑era program as rife with improper payments and abuse.
In a roughly three‑minute floor speech, the gentleman from Texas said the Affordable Care Act (commonly called “Obamacare”) ‘‘doesn’t work today,’’ listing asserted problems including ‘‘double premiums, double deductibles, 1 out of 5 claims rejected, limited choice.’’ He said the Republican plan passed by the House had bipartisan elements and ‘‘works’’ while criticizing those who would extend the COVID program that ‘‘you all designed to expire when COVID was over.’’
The speaker alleged watchdog findings of fraud and waste in the COVID‑era program and offered a series of stark assertions on the program’s integrity: ‘‘social security numbers from tens of thousands of dead people siphoning money out of the taxpayer pocket, away from the vulnerable, and enriching insurance companies,’’ followed by the statements ‘‘Millions of ineligible people. Billions of fraud.’’ Those claims were presented as the speaker’s characterization of problems he said had been identified; no corroborating testimony or evidence was offered during the remarks.
He framed the debate in ideological terms, invoking Ronald Reagan: ‘‘Government isn’t the solution. Government’s the problem.’’ He called for ‘‘less mandates, less taxes, less regulations, competition’’ and urged House Republicans to ‘‘stand firm and reject it,’’ saying ‘‘no Republican should ever support this.’’
The speech closed with the member yielding back the floor to the presiding officer; the next speaker was recognized from Missouri. The remarks did not include a formal motion or a recorded vote during the segment covered by the transcript.
Why it matters: The exchange sketches the contours of ongoing partisan debate over health‑care policy and the role of pandemic-era administrative changes. The speaker cited a Congressional Budget Office estimate and repeated allegations of large‑scale fraud; those numerical claims and program‑integrity assertions were presented as his account and were not verified in the remarks captured in the transcript.
