Political Quotes

“I come to the floor with my colleagues today to echo concerns about the budget process that is pursuing here related to a proposal that we will be voting on that I am not sure I understand the math. I certainly, when it comes to Medicaid, want to make sure that we are protecting Medicaid, that the House budget that proposed to have $880 billion come out of the Energy and Commerce portfolio--a portfolio that is basically Medicaid and Medicare. So I don't know how you would get the majority of that money if it didn't come out of Medicaid, I hope my colleagues are not considering any cuts to Medicaid, and I heard from people all over my State last week about what a devastating impact that would be in the central part of our State, where many of our hospitals rely on a huge Medicaid/Medicare population, hospitals wouldn't be able to deliver services or stay open. So I want to see a promise that we are not going to touch Medicaid, no sleight of hand, no gimmickry, no budget where all of a sudden now somebody is going to go in a dark room after we pass this and then say, oh, oh, but I got a great idea. Here is how I am going to save X billions of dollars out of Medicaid. I am just not for it. When we had this debate before, I heard from Republican county commissioners all over my State, when people wanted to block grant Medicaid, and they were basically saying, How am I supposed to run this jail?…”