Max Baucus: “I would like to speak a few minutes about the upcoming Medicare conference report that will be before this body-- I…”

“I would like to speak a few minutes about the upcoming Medicare conference report that will be before this body-- I don't know when--maybe Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Before I do so, I would like to thank and compliment many people who helped bring this legislation to this point. For many years, many of us in Congress have urged the passage of prescription drug benefits legislation for seniors. We have been close to passage many times in the last several years. I remember last year, for example, about this time when Congress was close to adjournment. I called a meeting together in my office for one last chance--Senator Kennedy, Senator Snowe, myself, Senator Hatch, and other Senators who were vitally concerned about passing prescription drug legislation. We worked mightily. We worked very hard. At the very end, the talks collapsed. It didn't work, largely for political, partisan reasons, I might add, and we were not able to get a bill passed. Here we are again. We are at the brink. We are on the verge. We are very close to getting prescription drug legislation passed. This time I very much hope that all of us--as Senators and House Members--put partisan differences aside and suspend judgment. That is, we should look at the legislation, look at the facts, and not listen to the rhetoric from various groups, to see what really makes sense.…”