Click here to watch the Senator’s interview.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today joined CNN News Central to discuss the need for serious, bipartisan work to avert a major health care crisis on behalf of the American people.

Below are excerpts of the interview.

On the President Failing to Bring Down Costs

“Well, I will start off by saying…the President…said he would bring down costs on day one. We are almost a full year in, and people aren’t seeing it or feeling it. And [for him] to make the reference that people don’t have to buy…dolls or…or pencils, I think is really disconnected from the reality that many Americans are facing in this very present moment. You know, the reality is true that a lot of people are having to make very, very difficult decisions. But not just about the holidays, about their health care. And that’s something that they shouldn’t have to make a choice about – whether or not to pay for their health care or pay their rent. We’ve seen rent go up. We’ve seen energy prices go up. We’ve seen food go up as you just showed. And so, to even call it a hoax to me means that you are not really facing and understanding what people across this country are experiencing on a day-to-day basis.”

On the Need for Immediate Action to Lower the Cost of Health Care

“Well, John, the reality is our Republican colleagues have an opportunity to do something here to make sure that it passes. Now think back. We have been going for months, encouraging our Republican colleagues to address this affordability issue that will really impact people’s lives. We literally have an imminent problem with people’s premiums about to spike. And so, we need to take care of that immediate problem…What we as Democrats have put forward is a three-year [ACA] extension that acknowledges the present [health care]…crisis that we’re in. But it also gives us room to really look at our health care system and make it better for the future…The simplest path forward is to vote tomorrow to extend these tax credits and allow the American people to have some breathing room and allow us in Congress to have the opportunity [to get this done]. This is about people’s health care, and this is life and death for many people in this country. We need to take a step back, do the right thing tomorrow, and vote for this [three-year extension].”

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.