Political Quotes

“I rise today to celebrate Medicare and Medicaid, two programs that have enabled millions--millions--of Americans to get the healthcare they need. Sixty years ago today, President Johnson signed into law a bill creating these two critical programs. At the bill signing, President Johnson said: This great nation cannot afford to allow its citizens to suffer needlessly from the lack of proper medical care. Together, Medicare and Medicaid have helped generations--60 years, generations--of Americans stay healthy, get to work, pay their bills, and care for their families. Today, nearly 40 percent of Americans rely on Medicare and Medicaid. Over the years, Democrats have fought to expand and strengthen Medicaid even further, including in the 2010 Affordable Care Act. But while the Democrats have worked to strengthen and expand Medicaid, Republicans have waged war on Medicaid and the Americans who depend on it. Just this month, they passed a nearly thousand-page bill. They have the audacity to call it a Big Beautiful Bill. I call it the 'Thousand Pages of Pain Bill' that will devastate communities across our country by stripping healthcare access--including Medicaid access--from some 15 million Americans, including more than 40,000 people in Hawaii. There are a lot of States that have more people on Medicaid than are on Social Security, so this is a critically important program to our communities. Frankly, Medicaid coverage literally keeps people alive.”