Political Quotes

“It is easy to beat up on Federal employees. After all, we are their bosses and they really cannot fight back. And maybe that is why they have had to contribute over $200 billion in the last few years toward deficit reduction. But at 3 a.m. last night, it was decided to require Federal employees to pay another $1.2 billion toward their retirement costs. But worse than the way we treat Federal employees is the way we treat military retirees in this bill. It is wrong. We have brochures that are as current as 1991 that promise free lifetime quality health care if they will contribute 20 years of their life serving their country, defending their country. And they took that promise. And now when they turn 65, they are out in the cold, no health care coverage, they get at the back of the line. Well, the Democratic budget brings them in from the cold, provides full Medicare coverage, provides the same kind of prescription drug coverage that we provide enlisted personnel and their families. I have got to tell my colleagues, if they vote for the Republican budget, they had better be willing to look in the face of our military retirees and explain why a politically appealing tax cut was more important than keeping their promise to them.”