Rep. Corrine Brown: “the action of the Republican leadership reminds me of a quote from Marie Antoinette, ``Let them eat cake.'' The American…”

“the action of the Republican leadership reminds me of a quote from Marie Antoinette, ``Let them eat cake.'' The American people are crying out to us to improve health care, education, housing, and Medicare; but this Republican Leadership keeps giving them what I call reverse Robin Hood, robbing from the working people and the poor people to give tax breaks to their friends. As we debate the Marriage Penalty Act today, programs that serve millions of Americans are being ignored. The Older Americans Act, which provide meals, transportation, and service to our most vulnerable seniors, have yet to be reauthorized. The Ryan White Care Act, which provides counseling and medical treatments to those poorest children suffering with AIDS, has yet to be reauthorized. The Patients' Bill of Rights, which would finally give the American public some control over their health care, died in conference. Tonight, thousands of American war heroes will go to bed on the streets, millions of American children will go to bed hungry, and millions of Americans will go to bed wondering how much longer their bodies can fight against AIDS, cancer, diabetes, lupus, and hundreds of other curable diseases. As I speak, delegates to the International AIDS Conference are deciding how to deal with the 4.2 million South Africans infected with HIV while this Congress sticks its head in the sand.”