Sheldon Whitehouse

I have serious doubts that this guidance meets either of these critical requirements and look forward to asking questions about these issues.

The revisions under review today are needed to bring the Fish and Wildlife Service into the 21st century.

The concern that Senator Sullivan has for unnecessary delays and problems and bureaucracy, I think, is a very legitimate concern.

I appreciate the Service's efforts to better incorporate the latest climate change science into its mitigation policy.

I believe we need to prepare now by: building more reactors; ending the stalemate on what to do about nuclear waste; stopping Washington from picking winners and losers in the marketplace; pushing back on excessive regulation; and fueling…

We shouldn't sit back and watch investors go to China and India to develop and commercialize next-generation reactors.

The United States Congress is fast becoming a laughingstock in its denial of this problem.

It made no sense to close carbon-free reactors at the same time we're trying to deal with climate change.

I think there is some area for agreement here among those of us who believe that nuclear power is an important part of the future of the country.

The past year has seen a renewed and bipartisan interest in nuclear energy reforms.

One of the reasons we took this step was to get rid of the scourge of testing of schools that was so badly deforming the behavior of schools

A U.S. Senator from the State of Rhode Island

The principle of this is that there can be a process of alignment where the municipality, the Federal Government agrees that it will step out and let innovation happen...

I just don't think they're the only ones.

Another is the Medicare rule that forbids patients to receive Medicare coverage in a skilled nursing home without having had the two-night rule, the consecutive 3-day inpatient hospital stay first.

Senator Whitehouse, as he mentioned, is addressing many of these issues with his Removing Barriers to Patient-Centered Care Act of 2016.

Just one additional point--presumably, these rules were all put in place with a good intention.

These rules, in your view, are obstacles?

One is the Medicare payment rule that forbids Medicare patients to receive hospice care and curative care at the same time.

The third is forbidding Medicare patients to receive home health care until they are completely homebound, even if they are terribly ill and it would be appropriate to deliver home health care.

When we are dealing with this patient group--people who are usually elderly, often very, very ill, and at least in contemplation of their mortality--and we are trying to develop care plans for them that meet their wishes and their family's…

Thank you for your amendment on the Senate floor.

I am really grateful for her leadership and that she and Ranking Member McCaskill agreed to hold this hearing.

As many people in the audience know, Senator Collins has an abiding concern for this issue.

Thank you so much, Chairman Collins.