Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I would like to thank the senior Senator from Utah who is retiring at the end of this session of Congress. Senator Hatch has faithfully served the public for 40 years in the U.S. Senate, constantly using the interface of public policy and the free market to find the best outcome for the American citizen. If the responsibility of Congress is to pass legislation that improves the lives of Americans, Senator Hatch has met this responsibility. As two examples, when I was a doctor--before entering politics--treating patients, Senator Hatch helped me take better care of my patients. Let me give these examples: The Hatch-Waxman Act leveraged the free market to increase the availability of generic drugs, which means more affordable medicines. The second example I will give is the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, creating the Children's Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP, which gave greater access to healthcare for Americans in need. That benefited me as a doctor taking care of my patients. As a Senator, it was an honor to work with him this past year to reauthorize the CHIP program and to continue efforts to make prescription drugs more affordable. On a personal note, shortly after joining the Finance Committee, Chairman Hatch sent me a letter welcoming me to the committee and making his office available to help in any way his office could. If there is a defining characteristic of Senator Hatch, it is that he listens.…”