Tom Carper

Somebody needs to put on the hat of the taxpayers, because they have a stake in this as well.

I understand that a change in law is needed to allow some of the Medicare recovery to be used for this sort of outreach.

We need to help figure out how we could, each of us, do our jobs a little bit better.

So we may want to think about realigning the incentives just a little bit.

If we are going to be serious on deficit reduction, it has to include Medicare, not in a thoughtless way, not in a way that savages older people or poor people, but in a way that actually saves some money.

Star city of the South?

Don't we have that in Medicaid? Don't we have that in most States in Medicaid?

The biggest piece of our deficit... is health care costs.

I do believe further legislation may be needed to curb controlled substance abuse.

We do not have the money to be wasting, whether it is $31 million, $131 million, or $231 million.

I supported the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. I voted for it.

What we have to do is to look for every bit of money that is just wasted.

However, we simply have to do a better job in overseeing the Medicare Prescription Drug Program.

Drug dealers in white lab jackets.

We have to figure out how to save some money in this program.

To put this in context, our budget deficit is down.

The President actually seems to be lined up behind it now, and my hope is that we can before the end of this fiscal year actually do that or do something very close to that.

The government cannot just do it all. We have to be a partner, but they have to be a partner as well.

If I could add, Madam President, every Sunday night I turn on the radio to WNCN to hear simulcast across the country West Virginia Mountain State--it is great music, eclectic music that is wonderful and reminds me of home. I thank the…

The fact is that West Virginia sort of separated itself from Virginia, and about 237 years ago this past Saturday, the State of Delaware gave Pennsylvania its independence. It is quite common to talk about what is Delaware and what is not…

How do we change that? Do we need to pass a law? How do we change that so that CBO--what we are doing is just so cost ineffective.

We cannot do it by ourselves. He cannot do it by himself. GSA cannot do it by themselves.

There is, as you know, widespread agreement among procurement experts that the Federal Government could save a ton of money through strategic sourcing.

I think it is appropriate for a Member of Congress to go to bat for a constituent firm who is able to provide a better service at a better price than maybe another option.

I want it to be for us to have dealt with this issue in a smart way.