On the recordJanuary 19, 2011
I stand today in strong opposition to Republican attempts to repeal and dismantle our health care law, the law that Congress has passed to give health care to the American people. This repeal bill may fulfill an empty campaign promise, but it fails to put the key American objectives of creating jobs and reducing the deficit at the top of the agenda. In fact, the independent Congressional Budget Office estimates that this repeal will increase the deficit by $230 billion over the next 10 years. In Maryland, by contrast, we will save $800 million in 10 years with the new law. We have heard the debate, but now it is time to hear the stories of countless millions of Americans who have a chance at real health care. I know these stories because I hear them every day, stories like Chuck, an engineer from Hyattsville, Maryland, who suffers from chronic thyroid condition and believes he will be denied health care coverage should health care reform be repealed; Nancy, a mother in Germantown, Maryland, who is grateful that the health care law has allowed her 20-something daughter currently in graduate school to stay on her mother's health insurance policy.
