“I talked to a lot of people about this nomination. Some people don't like Blanche because they don't like Trump. I didn't approach it that way. Blanche isn't perfect. But he knows the law and he's hands-on. He gave resources to prosecutors in my state. They got lots of convictions. Former Attorney General Barr said Blanche can push back on Trump. I will vote for Blanche. It's not a referendum on Trump. It's about Blanche and the specific circumstances.”
“I want to compliment my staff member, Danielle Janowski. She is leaving my team after many years. She has helped pass many bills. She has kept our team organized. She has fought for causes she believes in. People in the Senate will miss her. I'm happy she's taking a new job. I still want her help to make healthcare cost less. She's done a good job.”
“I am asking the House to be part of this Social Security plan. The other side says we already chose what to do. That is not true. This plan only makes a process. The House can suggest any ideas they want. They can even tax the rich if they want. But if you vote no, you are doing nothing. I want to fix Social Security. It gets worse every day.”
“I want the Senate to consider a bipartisan plan for Social Security. I want the House involved. A Democrat helped make the plan. The plan does not cut benefits. It only sets up a process. We need open talks. Then we will look at it in committee. This is not a fast track. Both sides should stop playing politics.”
“I want the Senate to make a plan to fix Social Security. Social Security will go broke soon. If we wait 6 years, benefits will be cut 22 to 28 percent. I propose a bipartisan process to find a solution. This is just a process, not a specific solution. It asks us to do our job and consider a fix. Will the Senate put politics aside and work on this problem?”
“Social Security has problems. It will run out of money soon. If that happens, people will get less money from Social Security. We need to fix it. But fixing it is hard. Some people say we should raise taxes. But that would mean some people have less money to spend on other things. Some people say we should borrow money. But that could cause problems too. We need a solution. I have a bill that sets up a process to find a solution. But some people don't like my bill. They say they want a different process. I asked them if they would support a different process. They said maybe. I want Congress to work on this problem now. We can't wait. If we wait, the problem will get worse. We need to be good Senators and solve this problem.”
“I don't want to talk about the actual bill. I brought up something from 10 years ago to change the subject. I hope that people will be distracted by talking about that instead.”
“I want to set up a process to fix Social Security. Congress won't set up a process. Congress has had 44 years to fix it. If we don't set up a process, benefits will be cut 29 percent or taxes will go up 40 percent. Senators can bring their own bills. We need to act now. I have a bill with Dick Durbin. Let's set up a process.”
“Healthcare costs a lot. It comes out of your wages. Even if you have insurance, you pay for it. I have a plan called MVP. It will put money in health savings accounts. It will make prices clear. That way people can choose what to buy. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act will help with this. It will show people the prices. They can pick what they can afford. This will make prices go down. People will pay less for insurance. Businesses will pay less too. That means more money for wages. The MVP plan gives money and lets people choose. It helps with high deductibles. It gives people more money in their pocket. The Patients Deserve Price Tags Act is a big step. It helps almost everyone with insurance from their job. It will mean more money for people and better health coverage.”
“I want unanimous consent for the Senate to stand adjourned until Wednesday. The Senate will be in a period of morning business with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.”
“I want to compliment Lindsey Graham. He is well-liked. He tried to replace Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act is not affordable. Premiums and deductibles are rising fast. This is a problem for small businesses. People are putting healthcare costs on credit cards. I have a plan to fix this. It gives tax credits to families. It promotes price transparency. My plan will help people afford healthcare.”
