Political Quotes

“Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Let's face it, the law that's on the books takes $500 billion out of Medicare and spends it on a new entitlement program. I don't think taking money away from seniors' health care to create a new government- run program is right--and neither do the American people. I was a small business owner since 1986. We provided health insurance for the people who worked for us. As a small business owner, what I wanted was the ability to group up and have more effect in negotiating lower insurance rates for the people that we covered. This law doesn't really help in any regard with that. In fact, this is a jobs vote we're having today, because if you're a small business and you're at 49 employees, if you go to 51, then all of a sudden the government comes in on top of you with all kinds of potential penalties and fees. And so a lot of small business owners in my district are saying: Why would I grow my business? Why would I take on this new risk? I think this stymies job growth. I can tell you that out at Eastern Oregon University I met with the university president. They used to have a student health plan that cost $66 a term. Because of this law and its implication, that plan went up to $2,000 a year. They've had to walk away from it. This law is hurting people today. It needs to be repealed and replaced.”