Rob Portman: “This has been a refreshing debate on the House floor today, because it has been an honest discussion of some differences…”

“This has been a refreshing debate on the House floor today, because it has been an honest discussion of some differences and how we would approach IRAs and pension expansion, but in the end, as the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) said, Democrat opposition to the underlying legislation has really not surfaced, in the sense that the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) has said this is a good start. I applaud the gentleman for this motion to recommit, because it essentially says that the Portman-Cardin legislation, H.R. 1102, that over 200 Members of this House have cosponsored, about half Democrats, about half Republicans, ought to become law. It is just that the motion says there ought to be a couple of things that happen in between; one, we have to be sure we have a surplus; the second is we offer prescription drug coverage. Unfortunately, the prescription drug coverage that is being suggested here that would have to be enacted into law is not precisely what this House just voted on in terms of prescription drug coverage. It is much different.”