Republican State Sen. Jeff Stone (Calif.), who is known for representing blue collar workers, gave an impassioned speech on Monday that lambasted Rep. Nancy Pelosi's (D., Calif.) defense of Obamacare.
Stone references his constituents in his speech, who are mostly middle-class workers. Pelosi represents California's 12th congressional district, which houses San Fransisco.
"We've talked about the rush that the Democrats did during the formation of Obamacare," Stone said on the floor. "We've heard the quotes about Nancy Pelosi that we'll figure out what's in it after we pass it. In my neck of the woods, I represent a lot of middle class, blue collar workers."
"And what have those workers seen in the past eight years?" he asked.
Stone spoke about the rising deductibles some people have experienced.
"They saw their premiums rise, they saw their deductibles become catastrophic, 5, $6,000 per person, to the point where they could barely afford it," Stone said.
He then referenced when former President Bill Clinton called Obamacare crazy and said it "makes no sense."
"One person said that Obamacare was the craziest thing in the world, do you remember who that was?" Stone asked. "That was former President Bill Clinton speaking at a Flint rally."
Later in his speech, Stone referenced how the number of uninsured Americans is supposed to increase alongside the Americans who are having "reported negative experiences" with Obamacare.
"Premiums are projected to increase in 2017, the number of uninsured Americans is projected to increase as well. Healthcare spending is also increased under Obamacare, and most Americans that have had to deal with Obamacare have reported negative experiences on it," Stone said.
Pelosi has been a fierce defender of Obamacare and a stark critic of the Republican health care replacement bill.
GOP willfully reduced Americans’ enrollment in ACA to justify their morally bankrupt #PayMoreForLess bill. https://t.co/HJ04sSU0XM
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) March 15, 2017
This is about values. Of course you can have savings if you cut people off from care. The challenge is not denying coverage. #ProtectOurCare
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) March 14, 2017