Political Quotes

On the recordJune 27, 2002
37 years ago, the majority Republicans voted against the creation of Medicare, which has turned out to be probably the single best program the U.S. government has ever sponsored. Republican leader Newt Gingrich said that Medicare should wither on the vine. The Republicans, in the late 1990s, proceeded to cut $250 billion from Medicare. Today, our Republican leader in the Committee on Rules labeled Medicare a Soviet-style program. In my 10 years in Congress, the only people I have found that are hostile to Medicare, that do not like the Medicare program, are my Republican friends on that side of the aisle. Today, we have a choice. We have a choice between a Medicare prescription drug plan written for America's seniors or a private insurance plan written, the Republican's private insurance plan, written by and for the drug companies, which will privatize Medicare. Let us keep Medicare public, let us pass a prescription drug benefit that works for seniors, not for the drug companies.
Said by
Sherrod Brown
Democratic · Ohio

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the importance of Medicare and opposing Republican proposals during a floor speech.

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