Political Quotes

“Mr. President, my amendment would require the President, the Vice President, Cabinet members, and White House staff to use exchanges created in this bill. It would also fix a loophole so that the committee and leadership staff are also required to obtain coverage in these exchanges. Today, after seeing my amendment, the White House announced that President Obama will voluntarily participate in the health insurance exchange that starts in 2014. This is a little presumptuous since he has another election before 2014, but it is still effectively an endorsement of my amendment to make sure that political leaders live under the laws they pass for everyone else. But the principle should not be voluntary for political leaders. Congress and President Clinton confirmed that in 1995 by enacting the Congressional Accountability Act that Senator Lieberman and I sponsored. It is a matter of not having a double standard. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and make sure we are living under the same laws. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator has expired. The Senator from Montana.”