On the recordJanuary 7, 2011
In the middle of the health care debate, a gentleman came into my office in Waterbury, Connecticut, and delivered a petition signed by 3,000 people. He was fighting two battles--one against the cancer that was ravaging his body and another to keep his health insurance to prevent himself from going bankrupt. This is a situation faced by millions of Americans who have a condition and a disease that is also potentially contributing to the downfall of their entire household. This is a situation that they shouldn't be in. This is no game, this debate over whether we continue or repeal health care. But it seems to be a game to my Republican friends. This bill isn't going to pass. It's going nowhere. When a CBO estimate emerges saying it's going to cost taxpayers $230 billion, they just throw it away and come up with their own numbers. The stakes here couldn't be more serious for that constituent and the 3,000 others who walked into my office in Waterbury, Connecticut. This isn't a game to them. It's a matter of life and death. And the stakes over repeal could not be higher.
