Political Quotes

“Madam President, on this side of the aisle, we Democrats want to protect seniors on Medicare. That is our top priority. I have heard my friend, the ranking member of the Budget Committee, come here and talk for hours, and he keeps talking about things that really have no bearing on what I think is important for the country today. We know the Republicans have put forward a budget that destroys Medicare. That is what we received. We voted on it over here, and it was turned down. It must be the Republicans' top priority because we have had votes on the Senate floor protecting taxpayer handouts, especially to oil companies. We had a full debate here that suggested we take this money that now goes to these oil companies--and even executives have said that they do not want the money, that they do not need the money--and apply it toward the deficit. Overwhelmingly, the Republicans voted no, so we couldn't get it done. So it appears clear they would rather balance the budget on the backs of seniors and Medicare than end the constant giveaways to oil and gas companies making billions a year in profits. These oil companies have made the largest profits in the history of the world. In the last quarter, they had $36 billion in net profits. The Republicans' plan to end Medicare as we know it would put insurance company bureaucrats between seniors and their doctors and raise seniors' drug costs, forcing them to pay $6,400 more out-of- pocket costs every year.…”