Mitch Landrieu: “That is what it seems to be. It is unfortunate. I am hoping, through the Chair to the Senator from Illinois--and I see…”

“That is what it seems to be. It is unfortunate. I am hoping, through the Chair to the Senator from Illinois--and I see that our minority leader from Nevada is here with us--that we could do our best in the next 24 hours, either through action on this floor or meetings, to answer questions that a few Senators may have. I have heard objections, such as too much corruption. We have problems with Mississippi spending money and corruption, but we shouldn't blame these people. All they want is health care benefits. We can fix that issue. We can work on that issue. But let us not hold up health care to people until we get the system perfect. If that is the case, we should stop working tonight. The system is never going to be perfect. It can be better. Let us not take it out on these people. They have already been victimized outside of any of their control. The Senator should know that one of the objections was that we shouldn't expand a Government program. But again, I just want to reiterate to the Senator that this is not an expansion. It is in the law. It is 5 months of special help to people who need it and to people who have private insurance that have lost it and can't have it, if we don't meet their employers halfway. The only expansion for the country is to say in the next 5 months the Federal Government will not cut any State's Medicaid Program because so many of our States are helping our people. Again, in Arkansas, 75,000.…”