Michael Burgess: “I thank the gentleman for the recognition, and it is an important debate that we're having tonight. Madam Chairwoman, I…”

“I thank the gentleman for the recognition, and it is an important debate that we're having tonight. Madam Chairwoman, I hope that people are watching the debate because this really does set the tone, set the course, set the compass for the future of our country. And this is a debate that really should not be partisan, although we certainly have heard some partisan references. I may even make one or two myself. But right now intergenerational expectations are down. And in that murky environment, we now have Paul Ryan come forward and bringing us a fact-based budget that provides a pathway for America's future. Everyone knows the rising cost of health care is a serious threat--not just to our Federal Government but to our prosperity in general. Unfortunately, the President last year, and the Democratic majority that was present in Congress last year, made the problem worse. Here's the simple truth. Instead of reforming Medicaid and Medicare and using the savings for deficit reduction, the Democrats spent every penny of savings, every single penny of savings and then a lot more on a new entitlement program. Incredibly, they accelerated the crisis, and Medicare and Medicaid are even more in peril today than they were before this all started in 2009. They found a fire, and they put it out with gasoline, and is it a surprise that it's worse?…”