Chuck Grassley: “I am going to address issues about the Medicare discount card, and I particularly want to respond to criticism that we…”

“I am going to address issues about the Medicare discount card, and I particularly want to respond to criticism that we heard yesterday from the other side. Listening yesterday, as I did, and then listening today to the criticism about the high price of gasoline, I have come to the conclusion that over the last several days members of the other party have a guilt complex about some of the votes they have cast in recent months. For instance, only 13 out of 49 Democrats voted to break the filibuster on the national energy policy. If we had a national energy policy, they would not have any worry about high gasoline prices. Then, of course, all but about 12 of them voted against the drug discount card to give seniors reasonably priced prescription drugs. So they come in and trash the bill we passed in a bipartisan way. I hope they realize they made big mistakes on some of their votes last year and suck it up and move on. In regard to what was said yesterday about Medicare, first, yesterday was a very historic day for Medicare beneficiaries in my home State of Iowa and all the other 49 States. Before then, many beneficiaries paid some of the highest prices for drugs. Now they can begin shopping for a Medicare-approved discount card that will help them pay less, a lot less.”