On the recordMarch 19, 2010
Let me thank the gentlelady from California. And I want to thank her for her thoughtfulness in being a leader on H.R. 3644, which focuses on the opportunity to promote ocean, atmospheric and environmental education awareness opportunities for young people. And to acknowledge that these are competitive grants again emphasizes that this caucus, that Democrats are concerned about the budget, but also concerned about important issues dealing with coastal growth and coastal learning. I am from the coastal area, and it brings me to some of the comments that have been made on this health care bill. It is interesting that when we look at our friends on the other side of the aisle, who spent billions of wasteful dollars on giving tax cuts to the richest of Americans, that they can give a short shrift, if you will, to the fact that this health care bill will not only insure millions of Americans, almost 95 percent of Americans, including those who are employer-based insured, which we say to them, as in my own congressional district, where 41 percent are employer-based, yes, you can keep your insurance. But at the same time, we are prepared to reduce the deficit $130 billion over the next 10 years and $1.2 trillion more over the following decade, reining in waste, fraud, and abuse, but at the same time providing millions of uninsured Americans, women, children, families with the opportunity for insurance.
