On the recordAugust 10, 2010
What we have here is a failure to communicate. My friends on the Democratic side are talking about things to help the economy. My friends and myself on the Republican side are pointing out that this is money that we don't have. There is no national emergency. The items that are being funded are items that historically have been funded at the State level with the exception of Medicaid, which is a State-Federal expenditure. And in that the program, the money doesn't absolutely have to be spent for low income health care assistance. If you look at the way the money is actually allocated, one State, the great State of New York, the Empire States, gets over 12.5, 13 percent of the funds. In fact, if you exclude California, New York gets more money than every State west of the Mississippi. As has been pointed out by Mr. Buyer of Indiana, New York has a Medicaid reimbursement rate at 350 percent of poverty, which is pushing about $80,000 for a family of four. This is money we don't have being spent on programs that are not in dire emergency at a time when the unemployment rate is 10 percent. Please vote no on this bill.
