Rep. Fedorchak on NewsNation: “We shouldn't even be in this position”
Washington D.C. — Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) today joined Keleigh Beeson on NewsNation’s Morning in America to share her perspectives on the Democrat-led government shutdown and national conversations around long-term health care reforms. Check out highlights below:
On the Democrat-led government shutdown distracting from important work in Washington:
We shouldn't even be in this position. The government should be open. The Democrats should have just gone along like they have 13 times in the past with extending this clean CR. We would be negotiating these very issues right now and finding solutions to them. I strongly and respectfully disagree with my colleague, Representative Garamendi. [The Democrats] have connected [enhanced premium tax credits with government funding] and they never should have been connected.
On Democrat claims that health care premiums are set to skyrocket:
This issue does need to be addressed, and it will be addressed. But I think it's also very important to recognize that premiums have been skyrocketing, even with these premium tax credits and the enhanced premium tax credits. The Obamacare plan has resulted in skyrocketing health care costs, skyrocketing premium costs, and worse health outcomes. Those are the reforms Republicans really want to get after and address. They can't just be tacked on, as he [Representative Garamendi] suggested, to a clean CR. Those are much more in-depth discussions, policy changes, and reforms that need to be made.
On Democrats’ Medicaid misinformation:
Those [claims] are just simply false. We have increased funding for Medicaid. The One Big Beautiful Bill increased funding for Medicaid by 25 percent over the next 10 years. The reforms we made for Medicaid are intended to help sustain that program long-term for the very people that it's intended to benefit. On so many counts, what the Democrats are saying right now and arguing just simply aren’t true and don't align with the facts at hand.
On potential pathways to address health care reform:
There's a lot of great ideas. One of them might be rather than [having] the premium tax credit going to the insurance companies, what if it went to the American people directly? They would have that money in their own pockets. That's a reform Republicans are looking at.
We're looking at other ways to ensure that the people who are signed up for these enhanced premium tax credits actually receive [them], that [they] aren't just going into the hands of some insurance salesman or an insurance company while there's no American on the other end actually getting the benefit of these premium tax credits. There’s a lot that can be done to help use these in the right way to help drive down costs.
In addition to that, so many other health care reforms [are being considered]. What the President is doing to negotiate lower drug pricing is really substantial and will directly benefit Americans. We're in the mix coming up with ideas to make real substantial reforms that do drive down health care costs and improve outcomes for American citizens.
###