U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-San Antonio) says if you don't want change in Washington DC, you first have to change the people you send to Washington DC, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
In remarks to the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, the veteran Democrat says neither the Trump Administration nor the existing Congress appears willing or able to tackle what Americans repeatedly list as among the top challenges facing the country--immigration and health care.
Doggett says Republicans are shying away from reaching an agreement on comprehensive immigration reform and normalizing the status of DACA recipients because Republicans still find that tarring their Democratic, and occasionally Republican, opponents with 'supporting open borders' and 'being soft on illegal immigrant crime' continues to be a potent way to fire up the GOP base.
"As long as immigration is used as a weapon, to stir up hate and bigotry and votes, we will not get the job done," Doggett said. "In a new Congress, I hope we can."
Likewise with health care, Doggett said he expects workers nationwide to face potentially hefty health insurance premium increases when the sign up period for health care being this fall, and he said that is largely due to the removal of the 'individual mandate' to buy health insurance from the tax bill approved last December.
Doggett said by requiring young healthy people to buy health insurance, that is the only way the system will work, just like safe drivers also must buy car insurance.
"I don't believe there is anyone here, no matter how expert they might be in running a business, that can have a business model that only insures people who are sick and dying," he said.
Doggett said through lawsuits and legislation, the next pillar of Obamacare that appears ready to fall is the mandate that people with 'pre existing conditions' not be denied coverage.He says if that requirement is removed, that will bar 'half of all Texans' from buying health insurance. He cited the case of a friend who was denied health insurance because she had been a victim of domestic violence, for example.