Political Quotes

“Tomorrow I intend to introduce bipartisan prescription drug legislation with the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Health, Ms. Olympia Snowe of Maine. For more than 3 years, Senator Snowe and I have teamed up in an effort to address this prescription drug issue, of which the Presiding Officer is acutely aware. It is one of the most vexing and contentious of all issues. We have been trying to address it in a bipartisan fashion. Perhaps no issue in the last political campaign generated more controversy, more attack ads on both sides, and more bitterness rather than thoughtful discussion than the question of prescription drugs for seniors. The reason Senator Snowe and I are moving now with the introduction of our bipartisan legislation tomorrow is that we are hopeful that when the Senate Finance Committee takes up the prescription drug legislation issue at this month, the legislation we have put together can serve as a template, a beginning, for a bipartisan effort to address this issue. Our legislation marries what I think are the core principles that Democratic Members of this body have advocated with certain key principles that Republicans have felt very strongly about as well. I want to discuss briefly tonight how our legislation does that. The legislation that I drafted with Senator Snowe, for example, has a defined benefit, which is absolutely key for the Nation's senior citizens.”