Political Quotes

“You know, for the better part of a year, we have devoted the lion's share of our attention to health care reform, and this is where we are today. From the Speaker of the House, "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it." That's simply unbelievable, and it's wrong. You know, I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop proposals that will lower costs, expand access, and improve quality. I regret very much where we are today in terms of both the policy and the process. Policywise, there is a lot we don't know. We haven't seen this reconciliation fix-it bill. We don't have a score from the CBO. We're talking about 1/6 of our American economy, but we haven't seen it yet. Let's talk about what we do know, the bill that we have seen, the Senate health care bill. This bill will increase taxes by more than a half a trillion dollars. It will slash Medicare by nearly a half a trillion dollars, all to create a $1 trillion entitlement program. Families who purchase coverage in the individual market will see an average increase in their premium of $2,300. This is not the reform the American people want. Unbelievably, the process is even worse than the policy. In the coming days, the powerful Rules Committee will meet up there in that room on the third floor and, according to reports, it will use an arrogant manipulation of our legislative process. I say defeat this bill. The American people deserve better.”