Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I want to resolve a dispute that arose on the floor earlier this morning. There were differing opinions on whether the Senate-passed health care reform bill cuts taxes or raises taxes. During the month-long floor debate on health care reform--ending with a final vote on Christmas Eve--I took to the floor on five occasions to address this question. Let me top-line it for my Senate colleagues and my friends in the media. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, only about 7 percent of Americans would actually receive the government subsidy for health insurance under the Senate-passed health care reform bill. The remaining 93 percent of Americans would not be eligible for a tax benefit under the bill. How can a person receive a tax cut if they do not receive a tax benefit? Here is another powerful statistic that every policymaker needs to know: While only about 7 percent of Americans under $200,000 would actually receive the subsidy for health insurance, 25 percent of Americans under $200,000 would see their taxes go up. This is even after taking into account the government subsidy. This means that for every one middle class family that would receive the government subsidy, three middle class families would pay higher taxes. Again, this is all according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the nonpartisan experts. Now, let's get to specifics.…”