Political Quotes

“Madam President, the Senate is now debating an $886 billion Defense authorization bill, and unless there are major changes to that bill, I intend to vote against it. Let me take a few minutes to explain why. I think everybody in our country knows that we face enormous crises. As a result of climate change, our planet is experiencing unprecedented and rising temperatures. Along with the rest of the world, we need to make major investments to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. If we do not do that--not only America but China and countries all over the world--the planet we are leaving our kids and future generations will become increasingly unhealthy and precarious. In fact, there are some who wonder whether the planet will continue to exist in years to come unless we move aggressively on this existential threat. But it is not only climate change. Our healthcare system is broken, and it is dysfunctional--not a secret. Most Americans know that. While the insurance companies and the drug companies make hundreds of billions of dollars in profits, 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured. Unbelievably, our life expectancy, which is already lower than most major countries, is declining. Today, we have a massive shortage of doctors, nurses, mental health practitioners, and dentists--something that the committee I chair, the HELP Committee, is trying to address.…”