Ann Marie Buerkle: “Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to stand here this evening with my fellow Republican female Members of…”

“Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to stand here this evening with my fellow Republican female Members of Congress, and we stand here tonight united on behalf of our seniors. I come before the House tonight, Mr. Speaker, not only as a nurse and someone who's been involved in health care most of my professional life; but I come here as the daughter of a 90-year-old senior citizen. I rise here tonight to express my appreciation to my mother and to all the other seniors who've made such valuable contributions, both in my district and throughout the United States of America. The seniors of today have fought wars, they've educated us, they've helped to build infrastructure and technology that has led the way to our modern life. Today's seniors are still busy enriching our society. Some of our seniors are busy in the community with care giving, with volunteering, with sharing important life lessons with their children, with their grandchildren and with their neighbors. Yet some seniors, Mr. Speaker, in today's economy find themselves working later in life; and when they finally have the ability to retire, they will be dependent on Social Security and Medicare, programs that they have paid into their entire lives. Mr. Speaker, America must honor its obligations to our seniors. We must achieve bipartisan solutions that don't cut our seniors' benefits but, rather, ensure continued existence of these programs.…”