Political Quotes

“I urge my colleagues to take a more lengthy time to consider how to reform TRICARE and pay for this program than just 1 or 2 hours. I would like to pass this amendment now. Right now operations and maintenance has $174 billion a year in it. This is $45 million for 1 year just to get the treatments in place for these families. In 1 year's time, we will have more accountability and transparency on what the real cost is. This is just an estimate. So what we want to do is be able to have more facts and then go to reform the TRICARE system properly, and I commit to Senators that I will work with you on that. This is only authorized for 1 year. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona. Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I believe it was Ronald Reagan who said that the closest thing to eternal life here on Earth is a government program. Again, the complaint that we continue to hear from our constituents is that we have mortgaged our children's and our grandchildren's futures. And to somehow say, well, we are only authorizing this program for 1 year--does the Senator from New York really believe that once we start treating children with autism, we are going to terminate that program? Does she really believe that? Of course not. Of course not. We have an obligation to the men and women, the citizens of this country whom we have saddled with a $16 trillion debt to find ways to sacrifice ourselves fiscally to pay for worthwhile programs.…”