‘Governors are issuing the same kind of dire warnings about the proposed health care legislation that Americans have been sounding for months. The fact is, supporters of this legislation know that most Americans oppose it’
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Thursday regarding the importance of getting it right on health care reform:
“Americans have been watching the health care debate play out in various committees in Congress, and they’re wondering where it’s all headed. Well, I’ll make it easy for them. The final bill is going to cost about a trillion dollars. It’s going to include half-a-trillion dollars in cuts to seniors’ Medicare in order to create a new government program. It’s going to raise hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes on individuals and businesses. And it’s going to expand the government’s role in the health care of every single American, whether they like it or not, limiting choices and leading to the same kind of denial and delay we’ve seen in other countries.
“And then there’s the issue of rushing through a bill and denying the American people the chance to read it. Imagine that. A trillion dollars out of the taxpayers’ wallets for a bill that will affect the health care of every single American, and the Majority has already voted to deny a mere 72-hours of public review before voting on it. This is outrageous, and hopefully this is not the way the majority decides to go forward.
“One group that’s become increasingly vocal in its criticism of this legislation is our nation’s governors. Over the course of this debate, at least one in three of them have issued statements expressing their urgent concerns about a proposed expansion of Medicaid, which will force them either to cut services, raise taxes, or both. That’s on top of the tax hikes that come about on the federal level as a result of this bill.
“One Democrat governor had this to say of the Medicaid proposal: ‘… it’s very scary for governors to be saying as soon as the revenues get back there, the federal government is going to come in and say here’s how you’re going to spend your new money.’
“Governor Schwarzenegger of California says he won’t support federal health care reform proposals that impose billions of dollars in new costs on California.
“Governor Crist of Florida says the proposed Medicaid expansion would have a crippling effect on Florida’s state economy.
“Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii says the proposed Medicaid expansion would be tantamount to mandating a tax increase on every resident … and further harm residents who are struggling to make ends meet.
“Idaho Governor ‘Butch’ Otter calls the proposal ‘an … irresponsible effort to shift a substantial and unmanageable financial burden to the states.’
“Those are just a few of the comments we’ve heard from governors. They’re issuing the same kind of dire warnings about the proposed health care legislation that Americans have been sounding for months.
“The fact is, supporters of this legislation know that most Americans oppose it. That’s why they’re not listening. And that’s why they’re trying to rush it through without giving anybody a chance to study the details. The American people understand these proposals. They understand the strategy. And they’re not happy about either.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Thursday regarding the importance of getting it right on health care reform:
“Americans have been watching the health care debate play out in various committees in Congress, and they’re wondering where it’s all headed. Well, I’ll make it easy for them. The final bill is going to cost about a trillion dollars. It’s going to include half-a-trillion dollars in cuts to seniors’ Medicare in order to create a new government program. It’s going to raise hundreds of billions of dollars in taxes on individuals and businesses. And it’s going to expand the government’s role in the health care of every single American, whether they like it or not, limiting choices and leading to the same kind of denial and delay we’ve seen in other countries.
“And then there’s the issue of rushing through a bill and denying the American people the chance to read it. Imagine that. A trillion dollars out of the taxpayers’ wallets for a bill that will affect the health care of every single American, and the Majority has already voted to deny a mere 72-hours of public review before voting on it. This is outrageous, and hopefully this is not the way the majority decides to go forward.
“One group that’s become increasingly vocal in its criticism of this legislation is our nation’s governors. Over the course of this debate, at least one in three of them have issued statements expressing their urgent concerns about a proposed expansion of Medicaid, which will force them either to cut services, raise taxes, or both. That’s on top of the tax hikes that come about on the federal level as a result of this bill.
“One Democrat governor had this to say of the Medicaid proposal: ‘… it’s very scary for governors to be saying as soon as the revenues get back there, the federal government is going to come in and say here’s how you’re going to spend your new money.’
“Governor Schwarzenegger of California says he won’t support federal health care reform proposals that impose billions of dollars in new costs on California.
“Governor Crist of Florida says the proposed Medicaid expansion would have a crippling effect on Florida’s state economy.
“Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii says the proposed Medicaid expansion would be tantamount to mandating a tax increase on every resident … and further harm residents who are struggling to make ends meet.
“Idaho Governor ‘Butch’ Otter calls the proposal ‘an … irresponsible effort to shift a substantial and unmanageable financial burden to the states.’
“Those are just a few of the comments we’ve heard from governors. They’re issuing the same kind of dire warnings about the proposed health care legislation that Americans have been sounding for months.
“The fact is, supporters of this legislation know that most Americans oppose it. That’s why they’re not listening. And that’s why they’re trying to rush it through without giving anybody a chance to study the details. The American people understand these proposals. They understand the strategy. And they’re not happy about either.”
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