Tom Coburn: “I am somewhat perplexed. We had a debate on Medicare Part D. The debate was about corporate welfare. I find it hard to…”

“I am somewhat perplexed. We had a debate on Medicare Part D. The debate was about corporate welfare. I find it hard to believe that we want to continue to fund General Electric and IBM and Intel and all these other companies with taxpayer money after we have claimed we do not want to do corporate welfare. Tell me where in that process--if the Senator from New Mexico would care to put his sign back up--this money is? Tell me why an IBM needs money at that stage. Tell me why a General Electric needs taxpayer money at that stage, money that is going to go to them. They have all the resources. IBM just announced they are buying back 10 percent of their stock. They have plenty of cash. They are buying back their stock. Tell me why, in a time when we have a $300 billion deficit, $300 billion we borrowed from two generations from now, that we should give a penny to IBM, corporate welfare to enhance anything. They have all the resources they need. Tell me why we should give a penny to General Electric or Intel or any of those large companies that consume 30 percent of this money. If we want to have an Advanced Technology Program, why wouldn't we say, yes, we will do it, but you have to be at a certain size. You have to truly not be able to access the capital markets. They have no problems accessing the capital markets for research.”