Senator Blunt takes to the Senate floor in Washington for his first speech, focusing on opposition to the new health care law.
Blunt tells colleagues the health care law has hurt job growth and increased federal spending. Blunt says business owners have been left with more questions than answers, such as what will my obligations be? As well as what will it cost?
“Real, sustainable private sector job creation doesn’t happen in an environment of uncertainty,” Blunt says.
Blunt says business owners have told him that uncertainty has kept them from hiring new workers, choosing instead pay overtime until the financial burdens become clearer.
Blunt blames, in part, the process.
“And rarely, Mr. President, do we have a chance to revisit a misguided decision,” Blunt tells colleagues in the Senate. “And, in fact, this decision and this bill was the result of a set of circumstances that nobody would have anticipated.”
Blunt refers to the track the bill took to become law. It first passed the United States House, and then it moved to the Senate. Senators approved a bill they expected to eventually be subject to conference committee negotiations with the House. Then, the election of Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts occurred and Democrats lost the needed 60th vote for passage for Senate passage. Democrats in the House decided against further negotiations and the bill moved to President Obama, who signed it into law.
Blunt says that didn’t allow the legislation to undergo needed revisions.
“The American people are the victims of having to rush forward with a bill that wasn’t ready to become law,” according to Blunt.
Blunt says the law should be repealed and the issue revisited.
An attempt to repeal the law passed the House, which is now controlled by Republicans. It failed in the Senate, still under the control of Democrats.
AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [1:10 MP3]
AUDIO: Senator Blunt’s first speech from the US Senate floor [15 min. MP3]