Political Quotes

“I rise to address this historic opportunity for strengthening Medicare and providing prescription drug benefits for our seniors. I am pleased that as a member of the Finance Committee I was able to participate in the construction of the legislation which is before us now and to be able to speak to this historic legislation on the first day we are considering it. My understanding is that as of Wednesday we will be able to begin offering amendments to the legislation, and I know it is the leader's intention that we complete it before the end of the following week so that the bill can be merged with the House bill which should be adopted at roughly the same time. We can go to a conference committee, iron out whatever differences we have, and get this bill to the President as soon as possible. It is the President who has led on this initiative and who has promised the American people that we are going to provide both a new prescription drug benefit for America's seniors and a strengthening of Medicare so that we know that this program can continue on into the long-distant future and not be troubled by financial problems that we can see on the very short-term horizon. So this Medicare reform legislation, S. 1, that is before us now offers us a historic opportunity, one I think we must be very careful not to squander.”