WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Democrats, led by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), denounced House Republicans for their just-passed legislation to hurt millions of American workers by reducing their hours and cutting their health insurance. The House Republican legislation, the first bill considered in the Republican-led 114th Congress, would allow employers to cut workers’ hours to just below 40 hours per week to avoid providing them with health insurance. Meanwhile, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has debunked Republican claims about the bill, stating it could put millions of employees at risk of losing work hours, raise the deficit by more than $53 billion and result in more uninsured Americans—at a critical time when the uninsured rate is dropping.

 

Earlier this week, Conservatives such as Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, joined union leaders and Democrats in condemning the legislation as counterproductive and nothing more than a political give away to special interests.

New statements from Senate Democrats can be found below:

Senator Murphy: “This misguided proposal would actually create the problem it’s pretending to solve. By moving the threshold to 40 hours, a worker who already receives health coverage through their job could see their schedule cut by just one hour a week – to 39 hours instead of 40 – and their family’s health care taken away. That’s not just counterproductive, it’s wrong. If Members of Congress want to start the year off right, they should support American workers, not play political games that jeopardize their hard-earned health care benefits.”

Senator Murray: “Republican leaders have said they want to work with Democrats on policies that would help workers and the economy, so it’s extremely disappointing that they appear to be doing the exact opposite right out of the gate. This unacceptable proposal would not only hurt workers by denying them the health care coverage they depend on, but it would actually encourage companies to game the system by cutting time for the millions of workers who work more than 40 hours. I’m willing to work with anyone on commonsense changes that would make health care more affordable and expand access for families, but this costly, harmful Republican legislation – which even some conservatives have openly opposed – is a big step backwards for workers who need health care and economic security.”

Senator Schumer: “This deficit busting bill is simply another effort by Republicans to cater to narrow special interest at the expense of the middle class. This bill would put millions of Americans at risk of having their hours cut and their insurance yanked right out from underneath them. At a time when the economy is growing and full time employment is on the rise, cutting worker hours and taking health insurance coverage away would be an anchor on middle class families.”

Senator Durbin: “Once again, the House Republicans are pursuing extreme measures in their attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Their legislation would not only weaken healthcare protections for millions of American workers, it would also add billions of dollars to the deficit. White I am open to working on addressing concerns regarding this issue, this extreme bill is the wrong way to do it.”

Senator Boxer: “After voting more than 50 times to repeal it, it is simply outrageous that Republicans are once again trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act with a bill that would deny workers access to affordable health coverage through their employer and add billions to the deficit.”

 

Senator Stabenow: “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured Americans is at an historic low. Unfortunately, Republicans remain fixated on denying quality, affordable health care to millions of Americans. Instead of wasting more time on a bill that would add tens of billions of dollars to the deficit and put the health insurance of millions of workers at risk, we should be focused on finding ways to make sure even more families gain secure, affordable coverage.”

 

Senator Cardin: “House Republicans just simply refuse to accept that Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act, is working for millions of Americans and reducing the number of Americans left vulnerable without quality health insurance. As we begin this new Congress, let’s work together in a more constructive way to ensure opportunity and economic growth can reach all Americans rather than re-hashing years-old partisan battles.”

 

Senator Brown: “In their first major vote of the new Congress, House Republicans are standing with special interests instead of working Americans. While the health law has reduced the number of uninsured Americans and improved the affordability and accessibility of health coverage, this move could reduce work hours and increase the deficit and rate of uninsured Americans. Instead of continuing to fight old battles, House Republicans should work with Democrats on solutions that continue to move our country forward.”

 

Senator Baldwin: “This legislation would hurt workers and weaken their economic security. Instead of working on bipartisan efforts to improve the Affordable Care Act, House Republicans are advancing a political attack that will increase our budget deficit, increase the number of individuals who are uninsured, and reduce the number of people receiving employer-based health insurance coverage.”

 

Senator Warren: “The House Republicans’ proposal is another handout to big corporations that would cut health benefits for a million workers while asking taxpayers to pick up the $53 billion tab. Instead of trying to build on the health care law to improve our health care system, Republicans are willing to increase the deficit just so that they can kick people off their health care plans. That’s not how we build a better future for our families.”