Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am happy to see the Republicans opening up to what Democrats have been saying all along--that cutting wasteful subsidies to Big Oil should be on the table if we are going to reduce the deficit. Yesterday, my friend, the senior Senator from Tennessee, said he would consider ending taxpayer subsidies for oil companies making record profits. I congratulate my friend, the senior Senator from Tennessee. Democrats agree. Handouts such as these to companies that made $36 billion in the first quarter of this year alone must be part of the discussion if we are going to get our fiscal house in order. As we decide where to cut, we will need to make some tough choices, but not every choice has to be difficult. If we are serious about reducing spending, ending tens of billions in taxpayer giveaways to big oil companies shouldn't be one of the difficult decisions we have to make. When the other side says the alternative is to end Medicare, slash Medicaid, and put millions of seniors at risk, the choice is that much clearer. We cannot take with one hand from those who can least afford it and give with the other hand to those who can. Before we end Medicare as we know it or eliminate Medicaid funding for nursing homes, as the Republicans have proposed, we should cut wasteful spending. During the course of a year, one in five Americans will be on Medicaid.…”