Political Quotes

“Mr. President, first let me comment and thank my colleague from Maryland, Senator Van Hollen. Senator Van Hollen may be a new Member to the U.S. Senate, but he is not a new Member to the Congress of the United States. I think Senator Van Hollen said this very clearly: This nomination is very much about the type of health care system we want for the people in this country, whether we are going to have affordable, quality health care for all Americans, whether health care is going to be a right or a privilege. I thank Senator Van Hollen for the points he made. I think the people of Maryland are not going to be surprised that I agree with my colleague from Maryland and that I take this time to explain why I will oppose Mr. Price for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Let me begin by talking about something that happened in Maryland during my first year in the U.S. Senate. I was elected in 2006. In 2007, in my very first year, we had a tragic situation that occurred a few miles from where we are right here, in Prince George's County, MD. A youngster, 12 years of age, Deamonte Driver, died from a tooth problem. Let me give you the background on this because this is a very tragic situation. This is in the State of Maryland, one of the wealthiest States in one of the wealthiest nations. Deamonte Driver's mother recognized that Deamonte Driver had pain in his mouth. She tried to get him to a dentist, but they had no insurance and no coverage.…”