Political Quotes

“At the end of this term, I will have served in Congress for 10 years. I have had the privilege of participating in countless debates--from war resolutions and trade policies to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks--and working with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle on some of America's greatest challenges. We now stand on the floor of the House of Representatives to address one of today's greatest challenges in America--healthcare reform. While this may be one of the more complicated issues we are faced with, the goals--in my mind--are simple. We need to lower the cost of healthcare, while expanding healthcare coverage to more individuals. To accomplish this, I have advocated for policies like allowing small businesses to pool together and form association health plans, providing incentives for wellness programs and healthy life decisions, making reforms to our medical malpractice laws, and allowing individuals to purchase insurance across state lines. These policies are far-reaching, free-market based, and--most of all--don't require new government bureaucracies. Unfortunately, they all lost out to a partisan process of backroom deals that have tainted this proposal and further undermined the already low esteem in which the people we serve hold in this institution.”