Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague for an excellent statement and for appealing to the better angels. Mr. President, I am rising to speak about the Donnelly amendment, which is very much needed because the President--and now Republicans-- are walking back a clear commitment. The President said in the campaign that he would not cut Medicaid, he wouldn't touch it, but even before the inauguration, the Trump team eagerly signed on to a Republican plan to slash it by more than $700 billion. They stared into television cameras, looked American voters in the eyes, and said that somehow these massive cuts to Medicaid wouldn't in any way harm the seniors. Medicaid picks up 2 out of 3 dollars with respect to seniors in nursing home beds and special needs kids and disabled youngsters. When we hear that Medicaid picks up the cost of two out of three nursing home beds and compare that to the President's statement that he wouldn't cut Medicaid--wouldn't cut it--when we are now faced with a plan to cut it by more than $700 billion, one, that is walking back the President's solemn pledge in the campaign, and, two, it is going to make it harder for older people in this country to be able to afford long-term care. The majority has brought the TrumpCare debate and the extreme Medicaid cuts that I just described directly to the floor of this Senate without a single committee hearing to justify this ill-advised policy.…”