Political Quotes

“this is not an amendment to protect the elderly and disabled. It guts Medicaid's opportunity by going into a block grant or per capita cut that would sharply cut Federal funding over time and eliminate the States' flexibility to innovate. Instead, this proposal only gives States flexibility to make draconian cuts, leaving millions of seniors and individuals with disabilities who rely on Medicaid without the access to needed health care. Instead of the State-Federal partnership that gives States broad flexibility to run their programs but do so with Federal minimum standards that are important consumer protections like mental health parity, early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and testing for children, and network adequacy protection will go to block grants. Do you know what happens when there is no more entitlement and you go to a block grant? You cut the block grant, and before you know it, you have no Medicaid. This is not protecting seniors, children, and the disabled. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. I raise a point of order that the pending amendment is not germane to the underlying resolution and therefore violates Section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.”