Kay Bailey Hutchison: “46 States reached a settlement last November which added them to the other States that already had settled with the…”

“46 States reached a settlement last November which added them to the other States that already had settled with the tobacco companies, making every State in America now in a settlement with the tobacco companies. These States have not just chosen to put the money that is coming in from the tobacco settlement on Medicaid and health care issues. There are myriad State issues that this money is going to be used for. But that is in limbo today because the President has given notice that he is going to seize this money from them. So everything is going to be held in abeyance until we settle this issue once and for all. That is what our bill will do. There is no reason--no reason whatsoever--that we should take money from the Medicaid funds that go to the States which provide a safety net for the millions of low-income and disabled Americans who depend on Medicaid for their health care needs. We cannot allow that to happen, and we will not. I intend to work with the cosponsors of this bill to find the first available vehicle to attach it so that we can make sure that this money that our States have worked alone to achieve, with no help from the Federal Government, will remain in their sole jurisdiction; that they will be able to make the choices on what their States need and not have dictated to them by the Federal Government what they will spend this money for.”