Political Quotes

“Mr. President, more than a year ago I came to the Senate floor to share stories I had heard from Rhode Islanders who are struggling in our broken health care system. Since then I have been here on many occasions continuing to share those stories and continuing to urge Congress to get to work on legislation to transform our health care system so all Americans can receive the health care they deserve. Over the past year, with my colleagues in the Senate on the HELP Committee, our colleagues on the Finance Committee--the many colleagues who were active in preparing this legislation and working on the Senate floor--we have worked through differences, ironed out details, and slowly but surely moved toward creating a reformed health care system that will lower costs, cover millions of the uninsured, and deliver the care we need when we need it. Today, we stand on the brink, on the doorstep, just a few short steps away, from achieving this landmark reform. As we move forward to take those welcome final steps, let's not forget that the deliberate failure to act--as our Republican colleagues recommend--would leave millions of Americans mired in a status quo that consistently--consistently--fails them. I recently heard from Valerie, a working mother in Warwick, who carried the health insurance coverage for her entire family until she lost her job. The double blow of losing her job and her insurance left Valerie and her husband with very few choices.…”