Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to the nomination of Ms. Seema Verma to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. As a $1 trillion agency with oversight over Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, as well as State health insurance marketplaces, CMS is providing affordable health insurance to 100 million Americans, including nearly half a million Rhode Islanders. Given the responsibility that this post entails of ensuring access to health care coverage for our most vulnerable citizens, coupled with a lack of commitment to fighting back against proposals by this administration and some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to dismantle these programs, I cannot support Ms. Verma's nomination to be CMS Administrator. CMS is responsible for a key aspect of the Affordable Care Act--the health insurance marketplaces--which provide an avenue for all consumers to shop for the health insurance options that fit their needs and connect consumers with tax credits and subsidies that make the coverage affordable. President Trump and his new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price are adamant about repealing the ACA and rolling back these benefits. In her confirmation hearing, Ms. Verma was asked multiple times to commit to protecting the ACA for the millions of Americans who were able to access coverage for the first time because of the law, but she would not do so. This, to me, is unacceptable.…”