Bart Stupak: “I think what we have been seeing here tonight, a lack of notice as to intent of legislation, lack of hearings, I think…”

“I think what we have been seeing here tonight, a lack of notice as to intent of legislation, lack of hearings, I think that unfortunately is a trademark of this 104th Congress. And you and I both sit on the Committee on Commerce. Besides being active participants in crime issues, we also sit on the Committee on Commerce which deals with Medicare and Medicaid. We talk about changes and how we get the Federal budget under control and deficit reduction and all that, and I think whether you are in the majority and you are running Congress or whether you are having a hearing, I think the change that the American people want is a change that is based on common sense and shows some compassion. Unfortunately, there was no near miss in the Committee on Commerce about a year ago when you and I were there and Mr. Pomeroy spoke of near misses, it was no near misses when 13 senior citizens were arrested at the start of a Committee on Commerce markup on the Medicare bill which had $270 billion in cuts that we had never seen until we walked into the hearing room that day.”