On the recordFebruary 1, 2011
it is interesting that we face one of the toughest economic recessions in modern history and a world in turmoil, as many countries are challenging their leadership and assessing the future, and the focal point of the Republican legislative effort appears to be the repeal of health care reform. If you look at what the American people think about this, they don't agree. They think that if there are ways to improve the bill, we should do it; that if there are changes we can make in the bill to make it more effective, we should. But the notion that we would repeal this law and walk away from the basic provisions in it is not acceptable by the majority of the people. The House Republicans, new to the majority this year, decided they needed to keep faith with their followers and repeal health care reform as their highest priority. As the whip in the Senate who counts votes on this side of the aisle, I sense that we are not going to repeal this law, nor do I think we should. It appears Republicans want us to spend some time debating whether health care reform is good for America. I welcome that debate because, as you know, when we reflect on what we have achieved so far, in a little over 1 year, with this health care reform and what is to follow, it strikes me as unusual that there are people who want to walk away from all that. The important starting point in this debate is government-administered health care.
