Washington, D.C. – United States Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the need to delay Obamacare and fund the federal government at a level consistent with the Budget Control Act.

“I come to the floor to urge my colleagues to do everything we can to ensure that Obamacare is delayed, guaranteeing the least-harmful path forward for patients, providers and taxpayers.

We all have stories from our home states that highlight what many of us said was going to happen when the federal government began its takeover of the nation’s healthcare system.

Because of Obamacare, a constituent of mine in Arizona who owns a number of restaurants is eliminating the entry-level job of busboy because he can no longer afford to employ busboys and pay the new health care expenses for the other employees. 

Eliminating a restaurant-wide position – that’s the decision that had to be made because of Obamacare.

Another Arizonan, Michael Monti, who runs a historic restaurant in Tempe, was recently featured on the local news because he’s being forced to decide between offering health insurance to his employees working more than 30 hours a week, or paying a penalty from the federal government. Again, it’s likely that his employees will be laid off, or not hired.

He doesn’t want to cut back his employee’s hours – that doesn’t help his business. And I’m sure it doesn’t help his employees. Unfortunately, like many other business owners, Mr. Monti doesn’t have any other option. 

Sadly, these stories aren’t isolated incidents.

Companies like Trader Joe’s and Home Depot have recently announced they will end health benefits for part-time workers, and those employees will be directed to the new insurance marketplaces. 

SeaWorld announced that it will be cutting back employees’ hours as well. UPS will no longer cover the health insurance for some 15,000 employees’ spouses.

Just when we need a full-bore, full-time, economy, America is becoming a part-time economy.

These are the effects of Obamacare.

I believe it’s helpful to have this debate come sharply into focus, as it has been over the past 24 hours.

Like many of my colleagues, I have opposed Obamacare from the beginning. I think every Republican in the House and Senate has done so. I have voted to do away with this legislation more than 30 times.

Earlier this month I introduced S. 1490, a bill that would delay by one year all provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are supposed to take effect on Jan. 1, 2014 or later. I believe that we all know that the president has already decided to delay the employer mandate, doesn’t it make sense to delay the rest as well? How can you tell individuals there’s still a mandate for you to buy insurance, but tell employers they’ll get a year break?

As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to our constituents. We have to do everything we can to make sure this train wreck of a law doesn’t continue to wreak havoc.

Mr. President, as we continue to discuss the need to delay this onerous law, I hope that senators will join me in devoting the same time and energy to fixing the fiscal problems facing the country.

In this debate, we are told that we have two choices:

We have a continuing resolution with a price tag of $986 billion – about $20 billion more than the law allows – or we risk a government shutdown.

It’s disingenuous, I believe, to tell our constituents that these are the only two choices – a shutdown, or a CR that busts our budget limits.

The majority leader is going to amend the CR to get what he wants. Shouldn’t other members be afforded the opportunity to offer amendments as well? Wasn’t this the promise the majority leader made in the changes to Senate rules in January?

The Senate should be given the opportunity to vote on a continuing resolution that respects the Budget Control Act and funds the government at the $967 billion level for next year.

Passing a bill above the limit set by law will cause a second round of sequester cuts in January. Why would we do this?

Lurching from fiscal crisis to fiscal crisis is no way to run a country. 

You can say what you want about it, but the Budget Control Act has provided us with meaningful cuts in spending. 

Why would we add new spending?

Just last week, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported that our debt is on track to total 100 percent of our nation’s output in just 25 years. 

Interest on our national debt will consume 14 percent of our annual budget in just 10 years’ time, up from 6 percent today.

These projections demand that we take a harder look at our spending.

At the very least, we should be allowed to vote on a fiscally responsible continuing resolution that meets the $967 billion threshold.”

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