Pete Domenici: “I just want to finish this thought. Mr. President, this cigarette tax is not needed. We need not break this agreement to…”

“I just want to finish this thought. Mr. President, this cigarette tax is not needed. We need not break this agreement to cover children who are uncovered, in terms of health insurance, because they are covered. Let me tell you how much they are covered by. There is $16 billion--one-six--$16 billion in new money in this agreement that is there specifically and singularly to cover children who do not have insurance. All 5 million are covered by the $16 billion. Let me suggest that the White House in these negotiations put before us a plan to cover the 5 million young people, 5 million young children in America. They put forth a plan and they said it is going to be very difficult to find out how to cover these young children because we do not have any experience in it. We do not have any insurance policies out there to cover them. But $16 billion ought to do the job.”