Tag Archives: senator john cornyn

WASHINGTON – Thursday the U.S. Senate passed legislation 80-17 to keep the government funded and raise the debt ceiling through December, including $15.25 billion in new disaster relief funding available for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) urged his colleagues to keep Texans recovering from Hurricane Harvey in mind ahead of the vote. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video of his remarks can be found here.

“It’s hard to believe, but not even two weeks have passed since the storm first tore through our towns great and small. And of course, communities are still reeling from the devastation.”  

“The fourth-largest city in the country is known for energy, and that’s what we here in Washington must devote to ensuring that aid is expedited.”

“These [funds] will be available to Texas families that, like the woman I met in Meyerland, are removing the rugs, the furniture, and rebuilding the very walls of their home.”

“I hope my colleagues will keep in mind the scope of this catastrophe and deliver this funding to those whom Harvey has caused much more than just dollars.”

WASHINGTON – Monday on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed the ongoing effort to replace Obamacare with real health care reform. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below:

“Many of our friends across the aisle, in fact all of them so far here in the Senate, have made clear they want nothing to do with providing any help or any aid to the people who are being hurt by the failures of Obamacare.”

“And now they’re in the process of attacking those of us who are trying to help people who are hurting rather than lending a helping hand and working together with us in a bipartisan way.”

“For those Americans, I want to make sure they understand, notwithstanding all the scare tactics: Medicaid is not going away.”

“In my state alone, in the state of Texas, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, as many as 600,000 new low-income Texans will benefit from the provisions of the Better Care Act. It will help qualify them for a tax credit not available to them under Obamacare.”

“By providing low-income Americans access to private insurance instead of Medicaid, we can assist those who were previously left out of the health care market and will now be able to purchase a plan of their choice, perhaps for the first time.”

“Our plan also frees consumers from government mandates requiring them to buy insurance they don’t want and they can’t afford. This way families can choose what works best for them, free from the penalty by the government. And for some individuals, they may choose to go with no plan at all.”

“We’re going to continue to talk and listen and exchange ideas on how we can continue to make improvements. But, in the end, the choice is clear. You either ultimately support Obamacare and the status quo, or you’re willing to try to work with us to do something better.”

“That’s simply the choice that people are going to have. A no vote against an alternative is simply a vote for the status quo under Obamacare.”