Pete Domenici: “Let me just say, I wish we had a plan that said: In the future, we do not need all this; we do not need all these cars…”

I think you raise a good point. We have to be careful about the issue you raised. It is a serious one.

We may not know all the answers that you seek of us because we did not have a lot of time to study in detail the more intricate health care issues.

I want to remind the committee again, and I will say it to you, Senator Snowe, remember, our package was put together by Democrats and Republicans, so we do not come here starting with one side or the other.

That did not reduce any beneficiaries' benefits, it just cut the amounts that providers were otherwise getting.