(WPDE) — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) spoke on the Senate floor, addressing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after President Donald Trump called on Senate Republicans to repeal the act altogether.
The meeting comes after a Democratic plan sought an agreement on reopening the government with extended ACA subsidies for a year.
Republicans quickly shut down this idea, despite Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the plan “a reasonable offer that reopens the government, deals with health care affordability and begins a process of negotiating reforms to the ACA tax credits for the future.”
Graham, along with other republican leaders, is adamant that negotiations on the subsidies cannot move forward until the government is reopened, according to Saturday’s speeches.
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“The government is shut down because our friends on the other side are insisting that we continue this program for another year,” Graham said. “I’m not gonna continue it another day. I’m not gonna pour tens of billions of dollars through Obamacare and to health care insurance companies, with the result being your premiums have increased by 100 percent. We’re gonna stop that.”
When speaking about what he calls the “Unaffordable” Care Act, Graham stands next to a chart showing what healthcare companies receive under Obamacare, including United Health Care, Cigna, Anthem/Elevance, CVSHealth Benefits, Humana and Molina. “These are the winners, not you,” Graham said.
Graham showed the company’s stock price increase from March 2010 to November 2025, the period that coincides with the enactment of Obamacare. (WPDE)
He also shows the company’s stock price increase from March 2010 to November 2025, the period that coincides with the enactment of Obamacare.
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Graham calls the current plan ‘unsustainable’, and a new healthcare plan will be discussed only when the government reopens.
