On the recordApril 6, 2011
We stand today on the verge of a government shutdown. Without quick action, we will leave our seniors, our veterans, and vulnerable Americans everywhere out in the cold. But instead of working on a compromise, I state, Republicans have introduced a budget that will devastate seniors while protecting tax breaks for the richest. Under the Republican budget, seniors in my district would lose their guaranteed benefit under Medicare and face devastating cuts to Medicaid benefits for nursing home care, which now pays over 48 million elderly and disabled Americans. Seniors live on a fixed income. I state, seniors live on a fixed income. They cannot afford to pay more for health care or see cuts in their Social Security or have their Medicare privatized. We must not cut their benefits in order to protect and enlarge tax breaks for the rich and for companies that ship jobs overseas or for the oil industry. We must control our deficit. It is wrong to balance the budget on the backs of American seniors. This is not about power; it's about what's good for the American people. ____________________
