Political Quotes

“I have the greatest respect for my Republican chairman from Oregon, but he just forgets completely, as so many speakers on the GOP side have, that they are in the majority, and they have a significant majority. They can do whatever they want. For him to suggest that somehow he can't bring up a CHIP bill that also includes all these other health programs he mentioned, the community health centers--I could also mention all the Medicare extenders that are not included in this bill. This bill basically either lets expire or continues to expire so many things that are important for the health of the American people, not only the community health centers, which expire in a few weeks; not only the Medicare extenders, which includes the therapy caps for seniors and Medicare; the home visiting program for seniors; the special diabetes program; the teaching health centers; the National Health Service Corps; all of these things; also, the safety net hospitals. As of January 1, the DSH or safety net programs for all these hospitals around the country that have to take care of so many poor people, that funding has expired and they have actually had to cut the funding. So how do you stand up here and say to me and the American people that somehow you care about these things, you want to deal with these things? You are not dealing with these things. What are you doing here again? Once again, you are bringing a bill to the floor that has all kinds of repeal of taxes.…”