Floor Statements

Mr. President, following leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 3 o'clock today. At that time, the managers of the bill will be here. Until that time, Senators will be allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each as in morning business.

At 3 p.m., the Senate will resume consideration of the health care legislation. Today, the majority will offer the first amendment and the Republicans will offer the next amendment to the substitute. No other amendments, by virtue of the order that was entered before the Thanksgiving recess, will be in order today.

There will be no rollcall votes during today's session, and the next vote will occur at noon tomorrow on the confirmation of the nomination of Jacqueline Nguyen to be a U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California.

Mr. President, the next few weeks will tell us a lot about whether Senators are more committed to solving problems or creating them. We have before us a historic occasion. That is where we are--a time in history where we have never been before--with the chance to ensure the well-being of both our fellow citizens and our recovering economy. We have before us the opportunity to relieve the suffering of many and prevent even worse pain in the future.

But if we are to seize this opportunity, this debate must be on facts, not fear. We must remain focused on how we can best help the American people and the American economy, and we must avoid the temptation to drown in distractions and distortions. In other words, we must do our jobs.

Last week, my counterpart--the distinguished Republican leader, Senator

McConnell--called the health care crisis manufactured. The American people would beg to differ. I have said on this floor before, on several occasions, that last year 750,000 people filed for bankruptcy. That is true. I said previously that half the people who filed bankruptcy filed because of medical expenses. But we have learned of a report that came out last week which states that number is too small; that, realistically, it is about 70 percent of the people who file for bankruptcy file because of health care costs.

I have also said on this floor that half the people who filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses did so even though they had insurance. We learned last week that number is also too small; that it is 62 percent. That means 62 percent of the people who filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses were already insured. Is that a crisis in America--750,000 people filing for bankruptcy and about 70 percent of them filing because of health care costs, with 62 percent of those who filed for bankruptcy because of health care costs having health insurance? What a sad commentary on the present state of the health care delivery system in our country.

This weekend the assistant Republican leader said we should go back to square one. In fact, his exact quote was: ``There is no way to fix this bill.'' That is what we do. We are legislators. I have been in Congress a long time. I have been fortunate to get things passed and never, ever have I gotten the legislation I wrote passed the way it was written. With rare exception that happens.

I would say to my friend, the junior Senator from Arizona, that Republicans have had a seat at the table from the very beginning of the health care debate. An example of that was in the HELP Committee, where 161 of the amendments Republicans offered in that committee were made a part of the bill that was reported out of that committee. So when you hear someone say there is no way to fix this bill, you have to look at the underlying statements this gentleman has made in the past: Basically, there is no problem with health care; things the way they are, are just fine; the fact that 750,000 people filed for bankruptcy last year, 70 percent because of health care costs, not important.

That is exactly what the legislative process is all about--changing things, working on things, trying to improve them, taking out things you don't like, debating, amending, and improving. Democrats stand ready to do so. I hope my Republican colleagues recognize that, even if the party leaders deny it.

As we round the latest turn along this journey, I renew my plea to this body--to Senators, Democrats, and Republicans: Let us discuss the specifics of this bill, not the whispers and wild rumors. While we disagree at times, let us at least agree that doing nothing is not an option. While each of us may not say yes to each word of this bill as it currently reads, let us at least agree that simply saying no isn't enough.

We will do this work transparently, and we will do this work tirelessly. That may mean debating and voting late at night. It definitely means, I say to everyone within the sound of my voice, the next weekends--plural--we will be working. I have events this weekend that I will have to postpone; some will have to cancel. That is the way it will have to be with everyone. There is not an issue more important than finishing this legislation.

I know people have things they want to do back in their States and rightfully so. I know people have fundraisers because they are running for reelection. I know there are other important things they have to do. But nothing could be more important than this. We notified everybody prior to the break we would be working weekends. Our cloakroom did so by e-mails. We have transmitted this message time and time again. So we are going to have to work Saturdays and Sundays.

This crisis--and, yes, it is a real crisis--is simply too hazardous to our country and to its health not to work as much and as long as we have to. This is a good bill we have before us. It saves lives, saves money, and saves Medicare.

The evidence about this continues to pour in. Just a few days ago an MIT economist--one of the Nation's foremost economists--a man by the name of Jonathan Gruber, analyzed our bill and concluded it will help Americans pay less and get more. He found that while the cost of private insurance continues to rise at extremely rapid rates, those who use the new health care insurance changes we propose will save hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars per year per person.

I am gratified we have already taken health insurance reform further than at any point in American history, but I am not satisfied and will not rest until we finish the job. Health care fairness will come if we dedicate the coming weeks to solutions, not scare tactics.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, the Senator from Minnesota is here. She has a brief statement to make. I ask unanimous consent that she be allowed to speak for 5 minutes and then we go to the bill.

Mr. President, today is the beginning of one of the most important debates in the history of our country. Today is the beginning of one of the most historic times in the Senate. Our two chairmen, Senators Baucus and Dodd, have spent months of their lives working on the legislation that allows us to be where we are today. We now have before us a bill that saves money, saves lives, and saves Medicare. It is a bill, if you add in Medicare recipients, that will insure 98 percent of the people in America.

Mr. President, I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, one of the major goals of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is to lower Federal health care costs and reduce the deficit. Our bill does that. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, this legislation would not add a penny to the Federal deficit. In fact, it will reduce the deficit over both the short term and the long term, over the long term by as much as $650 billion.

In developing this bill with the Finance and HELP Committees, we were determined to ensure that the legislation not only would reduce our deficit and our debt but that it would do so without relying on additional surpluses in the Social Security trust fund. This legislation would increase revenues in the trust fund as workers' wages rise. But those revenues are supposed to be for Social Security, so we didn't touch a penny of them--they are all used for Social Security and nothing else.

Likewise, about $70 billion in revenues over the first 10 years of this bill flows from premiums paid into the new long-term care insurance program known as the CLASS Act. Several Members came to me and argued that none of these funds should be used for other purposes. I agreed. After all, these premiums would be used to build up a fund that later would be used to pay benefits. So, as with Social Security, we didn't use any of the CLASS surpluses for other programs.

I think it is important that as the Senate considers changing the legislation, we maintain our commitment to protecting Social Security and CLASS surpluses. In both cases, all additional revenues are dedicated to pay benefits. Diverting them to other purposes would not be fiscally responsible, and it wouldn't be fair to Social Security or to people who paid their CLASS premiums in good faith.

To help ensure we remain true to this commitment, I now ask unanimous consent that all amendments to the pending bill be considered out of order unless they are consistent with the following two principles: The additional surplus in the Social Security trust fund generated by this act should be reserved for Social Security and not spent in this act in any other fashion; and No. 2, the net savings generated by the CLASS program should be reserved for the CLASS program and not spent in any other manner in this act.

Mr. President, I think what he saw a minute and a half ago is essentially the same thing, but I will recite this again.

I ask unanimous consent that no amendment be in order to the Reid substitute amendment 2786 or a subsequent substitute amendment and H.R.

3590 if the additional surplus in the Social Security trust fund generated by this act would be expended on other provisions of this act and not reserved solely for Social Security, and the net savings generated by the CLASS program in the underlying substitute amendment and any subsequent substitute amendment are reserved solely for the CLASS program provisions of this act.

Mr. President, I am sorry my friend objected. It is not too difficult to comprehend that any Social Security surpluses should be reserved for Social Security. It is not too difficult to comprehend that all monies related to the CLASS Act would be reserved for paying benefits for that. So I am disappointed that my friends on the other side of the aisle are not interested in making sure Social Security monies are not used and/or CLASS Act monies are not used for anything other than those two programs.

Mr. President, I have another unanimous consent request.

The process for developing this legislation has been very transparent. In fact, the hearings held in the Finance Committee were done very publicly, and that is an understatement. For weeks and weeks, members of that committee couldn't walk out of the room without being questioned by the press. The press was present at most of their meetings. So both the HELP and Finance Committees marked up their legislation in public markups. Republican and Democratic members of both committees offered numerous amendments, all of which were available to the public. Republican and Democratic members voted for or against those amendments in a public and transparent way, and each committee member can be held fully accountable to their constituents for all of those votes.

The merged bill before us is entirely consistent with the provisions produced in those public markups. The bill has been fully available on the Internet for about 2 weeks. So each and every American has had the opportunity, if they wanted, to read the text of the legislation and to communicate their views with their Senators.

One of the main reasons we have gone the extra mile in ensuring a fully transparent process is because of the leadership of Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. From the very start of this debate, she has made clear to me that a transparent process and debate on this critical issue is a top priority of hers. To that end, Senator Lincoln said she would not allow a vote on the motion to proceed to this bill unless it had been available to the public for a reasonable period of time. She was joined by virtually everyone on this side of the aisle to that effect. They were right. The people did deserve a chance to see the bill before that vote, so we were sure to give them that chance. The Senator deserves credit for that, and I appreciate her standing up on that issue.

She believes--and I agree--that we can do more on the transparency front as this bill moves forward to the next stage of this process; therefore, Senator Lincoln has asked me to propound on her behalf a unanimous consent request.

I ask unanimous consent that no amendment be in order to the Reid substitute amendment No. 2786, a subsequent substitute amendment, or H.R. 3590 unless the text or Internet link to the text of the amendment is posted on the home page of the official Senate Web site of the Member of the Senate who is sponsoring the amendment prior to the amendment being called up for consideration by the Senate and the amendment is filed at the desk. Further, that this unanimous consent agreement shall be in effect for the duration of the consideration of

Mr. President, this is not a good way to start this debate. No. 1, there is an objection to the moneys in Social Security being protected and, No. 2, to the moneys in the CLASS Act being protected. That was also objected to.

Finally, Senator Lincoln's request, which I support 100 percent, indicating that amendments should be filed on a Member's Web site--that doesn't sound too outlandish--and filed at the desk before they are offered, sounds pretty fair and square to me. I am disappointed this is the way the debate started.

Mr. President, there is an order before the body that there will be two amendments in order today. One will be offered by the Democrats and one will be offered by the Republicans. The one to be offered by the Democrats will be offered by the distinguished Senator from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski, who I had the good fortune of serving with in the House of Representatives. She and I came here together in 1986 when we were elected to the Senate. She is a Senator I have such great respect and fondness for. We have been literally together and, because of our seniority, I am always one step behind her. Frankly, most people are a step behind the Senator from Maryland. The amendment she is going to offer is very sound and good. She will explain it in detail. It expands women's health services. We had a consternation about mammograms a couple weeks ago, and this will put that all to rest.

I express my deep appreciation for the leadership of the Senator from Maryland on this issue and on so many other issues she is involved in.

As I have indicated, the managers of the bill on our side will be Senators Baucus and Dodd. We look forward to a rigorous debate. With the consent of my friend from Wyoming, I ask that the Senator from Maryland be recognized.

Mr. President, there is no need to cut the Senator off. I have indicated to my staff earlier today that there is no one easier to get along with in the Senate than the Senator from Wyoming. I would never, ever cut him off intentionally. If there is anything he wishes to say, he should say it. If the Senator from Maryland will withhold for a moment, the Senator from Wyoming wishes to speak for a brief period of time.

Mr. President, on this Saturday, the Senate, in one of its unusual sessions, it is very good to see one of the more senior Members of the Senate presiding over the Senate. A lot of presiding is left to the more junior Members. It is indicative of the teamwork of the Senator from Vermont, one of the most senior Members of the Senate, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and someone who is always there when there is a need for something to be done, as it is today to open the Senate.

I have such fond memories of my friend from Vermont. I can remember the first time we met. We were in Florida. I was running for the Senate. It was 1986 and the Senator from Vermont was running for reelection, even then a senior Member of the Senate.

Even though the two of us are almost twins as far as our age goes, the Senator from Vermont has a significant amount of seniority, although he never uses that in any way other than to work for the betterment of the people of Vermont--and I say that seriously. We had a conversation in the cloakroom today, and we were not talking about ball games last night, we were talking about problems of the people of Vermont, things the distinguished presider today indicated he thought could help a little for the State of Vermont. I am very grateful the Senator is here today.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 3590. Under a previous agreement, the debate will continue with alternating hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the majority controlling the first hour. The time from 6 to 6:30 in the evening will be under the control of the majority; 6:30 until 7:15 p.m. will be under the control of the Republican side; from 7:15 to 7:30 the majority will control that time; the time from 7:30 to 8 will be for the two leaders, with Senator McConnell controlling the first 15 minutes. At 8 p.m. tonight, the Senate will proceed to a rollcall vote on the

motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the health care legislation.

Madam President, my friend, the Republican leader, is living in a different world than most everyone else. For him to lecture the Senate on debt is beyond the pale. He, one of the Republican leaders during the last years, voted at every opportunity to spend more money in Iraq, without a penny of it being paid for--$1 trillion it is now said to be--on a war of choice and not a penny of it paid for. To lecture us now on debt, when not only the war but the other actions of the Bush administration drove this country into deep debt? If one read the papers today or listened to Newsday, you will find economists all over America said the stimulus is working. Only 25 percent of the money has now been spent, and they recognize that but for the stimulus, we would be in a worldwide depression. That is all over the news today.

To focus on an editorial by a man who has been retired for many years and writes a column once in a while is not where we should be. Where we should be is recognizing America deserves a debate on health care reform. Last year, 750,000 Americans filed bankruptcy. Over half of those bankruptcies were because of medical expenses. Over half of the people who filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses had health insurance. Do we need to do something on health insurance reform? Of course, we do.

It speaks volumes to recognize that insurance rates over America during the last few months are skyrocketing. Why? Because the insurance industry has an insatiable appetite for more profit. How are they able to do this when other businesses can't do it? They can do it because they are exempt from the antitrust laws of this country. The only business, other than Major League Baseball, that has that is the insurance industry. We are going to take a look at that in this legislation. Shouldn't we at least talk about it?

My friend the distinguished Republican leader is saying he doesn't think we should even have a debate on this issue, even though last year 750,000 Americans filed bankruptcy, most of them because of health expenses.

In addition to that, the morning news indicates that longtime conservative Republican Tommy Thompson, longtime Governor of the State of Wisconsin, Cabinet officer in the Bush administration, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, endorsed the legislation we will vote on this afternoon. To show it is bipartisan, Richard Gephardt, former Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, endorsed this, and many others.

Anyone who says this legislation contains an entitlement expansion is

obviously someone who has not read the bill. One of the things we have in this legislation is a provision called the CLASS Act. What does it do? It allows someone to voluntarily pay $120 a month into a fund. They do it for 5 consecutive years. If they become disabled, there is money there for them. Ever since I have been in the Congress, we have been looking for a way to take care of the aged, infirm, and disabled. It is not an entitlement; it is voluntary and fully paid for, as is the rest of the bill.

To talk about all this debt--I don't know what world, what sphere they are living in. The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan organization--not always good--I wish they would have come up with some other numbers because we got no credit for all the wellness things we do in this bill that will save lots of money. We received no credit for that. But in spite of that, everything in the bill is fully paid for. It reduces short- and long-term debt. It expands coverage. This chart says ``94 percent,'' but it is actually 98 percent because CBO does not give us credit for people in Medicare. So 98 percent of Americans are covered. It contains insurance market reforms, and lots of them. It contains delivery system reforms.

The key elements of this health care reform bill, I repeat: It reduces short- and long-term deficits, expands coverage, promotes choice and competition, reforms the insurance market, and improves quality of care. All we are asking today is to have a debate on it. Why would anyone be afraid, in the greatest debating society, supposedly, in the world, to debate health care? What are they afraid of?

He said anyone who votes for this is going to have a lot of explaining to do. That is really Orwellian. Have a lot of explaining to do if they vote to allow the debate to continue? I think quite the opposite. I think any reasonable human being would feel the same way. Shouldn't we debate health care reform in America today, with 50 million people uninsured, and this legislation is going to take care of 98 percent of Americans?

This legislation looks out for small businesspeople. Right now, most small businesses don't have health insurance for their employees. Do they not have health insurance because they are mean or cheap? No. They can't afford it. The insurance industry has made it impossible to pay for because of their huge profits.

Someone not voting to allow the debate to continue is going to have a lot of explaining to do. Even though my friend is Orwellian and said that if you vote to allow debate to continue, you will have a lot of explaining to do, how could you be a Senator and be afraid to debate health care reform?

Simply, this legislation, on which we will vote on a motion to proceed to this evening at 8, saves lives, it saves money, and it saves Medicare--a pretty good deal.

Mr. President, my dear friend, the Republican leader, has had since Wednesday to read this bill. Obviously he hasn't done so because the facts he is talking about do not exist except in the minds of a few people who don't understand this legislation.

For 200 years we have styled ourselves the world's greatest deliberative body. Deliberation necessarily implies discussion and great issues, necessarily requires great debate. Today we vote on whether to even discuss one of the greatest issues of our generation; indeed, one of the greatest issues this body has ever faced: whether this Nation will finally guarantee its people the right to live free from fear of illness and death which can be prevented by decent health care for all. In the coming weeks, we will finally put people, not insurance companies, in charge of their lives.

The road to this point has been started many times. It has never been completed. Merging two such large and consequential bills has never been done before. It has been an enormous undertaking and we would not be in this position without the unflagging dedication of many Senators and extremely loyal staff members. At the top of the list are Chairmen Baucus and Dodd who have shown dedication and determination in recent weeks and months that has rarely been seen.

I am proud of every single Senator's input, and I am especially proud of the two most recent classes of Senators. Elected with strong mandates for

progress, they have demonstrated a studious approach to our historic endeavor and an unwavering belief that all Americans should be able to afford to live a healthy life.

I wish to explain why we are holding this important vote at this hour. As a matter of principle that I respect, the senior Senator from Arkansas insisted we vote only after Senators had time to read and understand this bill. Senators all have now had ample time to do so. That is because of the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Senator Blanche Lincoln, of Arkansas.

As I have done many times this year privately, personally, as well as publicly, I again invite my Republican colleagues to join on the right side of history. I, again, invite them to join us, at the very least, in a debate about our future.

Around dining room tables in Nevada and across the Nation, families are agonizing over what to sacrifice next to buy health insurance. They are questioning whether to fill a prescription or go without it and hope for the best. Employers are wondering whether they can afford to provide health care to their employees. They are asking how their businesses can survive while health care costs grow faster than ever. Americans need health insurance reform.

Debate is constant between television commentators and the editorial pages of great newspapers and magazines. The only place where silence is even considered is in the Senate of the United States.

Tonight--finally--we have the opportunity to bring this debate where it belongs. We finally have the opportunity to bring this great deliberation to this great deliberative body. That--and nothing more-- is what tonight's vote does. A ``yes'' vote says to America: I know this issue is important to your family and to our country, and the Senate should, at the very least, talk about it.

Let's be real transparent. Beyond all the hype, the hyperbole, and the hyperventilation, that--and nothing more--is what tonight's vote does. A ``yes'' vote says to America: I know this issue is important to your family and to our country, and the Senate should at least talk about it.

Some of my Republican friends would like the American people to think that voting to debate the bill is voting to pass the bill. Any high school civics textbook will tell you that suggestion is absolutely false. Tonight's vote is not the end of the debate, it is only the beginning of the debate.

It is clear by now that my Republican colleagues have no problem talking about health care in press conferences, radio interviews, television interviews, and townhall meetings. My distinguished counterpart, the Republican leader, has given many speeches in this Chamber on the issue of health care reform.

Yet now that we have the actual legislation to debate, to amend, and build on--now that we have a plan on paper and not just wild rumors-- will they refuse to debate?

After all, if we are not debating, if we refuse to let the Senate do its job, what are we doing here? If Senators refuse to debate about a profound crisis affecting every single citizen, the Nation must ask, what do you fear? In whose voice do you speak? In whose interest do you vote?

Surely, deliberating health reform cannot be more difficult than deciding, as Americans have to do, whether to pay your mortgage or your medical bills. It can't be more painful than not taking your child to the doctor because it costs too much. It cannot be more humbling than facing your own employees and telling them: I am sorry, you can't count on me for your health insurance next year. You are on your own.

It can't be more upsetting than having an insurance company take away your coverage at the exact moment you need it the most.

My Republican friends, there is nothing to fear in debate. President Kennedy once said:

Let us not be afraid of debate or discussion. Let us

encourage it.

Be not afraid of debate. It is our job, and it is exactly what the legislative process is all about--discussing, amending, improving. We Democrats stand ready to do what needs to be done. We welcome debate, encourage debate.

Does any Senator seriously think the Founders conceived the Senate rules in the hopes that legislation would never be deliberated? Of course not.

Did the Framers of the Constitution explicitly enumerate the powers of the Senate but in truth hope this body would avoid the hardest and most urgent questions of the day? Of course not.

Did our Nation's visionaries build this Capitol Building and design this great Chamber we stand in tonight only so it would remain dark and silent? Quite to the contrary.

Imagine if, instead of debating either of the historic GI bills-- legislation that has given so many brave Americans the chance to attend college--this body stood silent. Imagine if, instead of debating the bills that created Social Security or Medicare, the Senate voices had been stilled.

Imagine if, instead of debating whether to abolish slavery, instead of debating whether giving women and minorities a right to vote, those who disagreed had muted discussion and killed any vote.

I say to my Republican Senators, don't try to silence a great debate over a great crisis. Don't let history show that when given the chance to debate and defend your position and work with us for the good of our constituents, you ran and hid. You cannot wish away a great emergency by closing your eyes and pretending it doesn't exist.

There is an emergency that exists, and it exists now. The right response to disagreement is not dismissal, it is discussion. Democracy is discussion. Democracy needs deliberation. Let us debate our differences. On some, we will find common ground; on others, we may not. But let's at least tell America their legislators in the Senate are willing to find where we can come together.

Nobel Prize awardee Andre Sakharov, one of the great thinkers of the past century, knew that when opposing sides come together, some of their ideas can outweigh its parts. Sakharov said:

Profound thoughts arise only in debate, with a possibility

of counter-argument. . . .

So come on, my friends, let us share our ideas in the Senate. Let us legislate. Let us negotiate. Let us deliberate. Let us debate. Our country cries for this debate. Our country deserves this debate. Our country needs this debate.

I extend my great appreciation to the truly tireless men and women at the Senate Finance Committee, Senate HELP Committee, Congressional Budget Office, Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel, Joint Committee on Taxation, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the White House:

Congressional Budget Office

Doug Elmendorf, Director; Holly Harvey, Deputy Assistant

Director for Budget Analysis; Kate Massey, Unit Chief, Low-

Income Health Programs and Prescription Drugs Cost Estimates;

Tom Bradley, Unit Chief, Health Systems and Medicare Cost

Estimates; Phil Ellis, Unit Chief, Health Policy Analysis;

Jean Hearne, Lara Robillard, Lori Housman, Mindy Cohen,

Stephanie Cameron, and the rest of their staffs.

Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel

Jim Fransen, Bill Baird, Ruth Ernst, John Goetcheus, Kelly

Malone, Mark Mathieson, Mark McGunagle, Stacy Kern-Scheerer,

Allison Otto, and the rest of their staffs.

Joint Committee on Taxation

Thomas Barthold, Adam Block, John Bloyer, Tanya Butler, Jim

Cilke, Tom Dowd, Robert Harvey, Marjorie Hoffman, Melanie

Houser, Deirdre James, Rachel Levy, Julie Marshall, Pam

Moomau, John Navratil, Ned Newland, Mary Risler, Cecily Rock,

Bernard Schmitt, Chris Simmons, Carrie Simons, Lori Stuntz,

Kristeen Witt.

Department of Health and Human Services

Jeanne Lambrew, Meena Seshamani, Caya Lewis.

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Erin Clapton, Ira Burney, Amy Hall, Maria Martino, Isabella

Leung, Anne Scott, Nancy DeLew, Sharon Arnold, Allison Orris,

Jennifer Snow, Jill Gotts, Chantelle Britton, Molly Long,

Adam Aten, Lisa Joldersma, Sylvia Yu, Laura McWright, Greg

Jones, Dan Miller, Ariel Novick, Rick Foster.

Program Experts in the following offices/centers (in

alphabetical order): Center for Drug and Health Plan Choices

(Tim Hill); Center for Medicare Management (Jon Blum, Liz

Richter); Center for Medicaid & State Operations (Cindy Mann,

Penny Thompson); Office of Clinical Standards & Quality

(Barry Straube); Office of E-Standards and Services

(Tony Trenkle); Office of Financial Management (Deborah

Taylor); Office of General Counsel (Janice Hoffman); Office

of Legislation; Office of Research, Development and

Information (Tim Love).

The White House

Nancy-Ann DeParle, Mike Hash.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators vote tonight from their desks.

Mr. President, I ask consent that we start the vote 5 minutes early.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment that is at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, at 10 o'clock this morning, the Senate will resume debate on H.R. 3590, the health care bill. The debate will be controlled in alternating, hour-long blocks until 10 p.m., from 10 until 10, with the majority controlling the first hour. The majority will control the time from 10 until 10:30 and the Republicans will control the time from 10:30 until 11 p.m.

There will be no rollcall votes during today's session of the Senate. The next vote will occur tomorrow night at 8 p.m., Saturday, November 21. That vote will be on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the health care legislation.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for an hour. Senators during that time will be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The majority will control the first 30 minutes and the Republicans will control the final 30 minutes.

Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of S. 1963, which is the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act. Debate on the bill will be limited to 30 minutes equally divided and controlled between Senators Akaka and Burr or their designees. The only amendment in order to the bill is the Coburn amendment relating to the funding priorities in this bill. Debate on the Coburn amendment is limited to 3 hours, with Senator Coburn controlling 2 hours and Senator Akaka controlling the final hour.

At 2 p.m., the Senate will resume debate on the nomination of David Hamilton to be U.S. circuit judge for the Seventh Circuit. Debate until 2:30 is going to be equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Sessions or their designees.

At 2:30 p.m., the Senate will proceed to a series of three rollcall votes. Those votes will be on confirmation of the Hamilton nomination, in relation to the Coburn amendment, and on passage of the veterans omnibus bill.

Mr. President, we have traveled a great distance to get where we stand today. With the bill we unveiled last night, we begin the last leg of this historic journey.

The American people and President Obama have asked us for health insurance reform. There are two things we must have above all: No. 1, make it more affordable for every American to live a healthy life, and No. 2, do so in a fiscally responsible way that helps our economy recover. Senate Democrats have listened, and we have written a bill that will save lives, save money, and save Medicare.

Since yesterday evening, the bill has been on the Internet for all to see. You will find it at democrats.senate.gov, but here is a quick summary of what is in that bill. And I say, Mr. President, this is a big bill. I was at a meeting with some other Senators this morning, and everyone acknowledged that no one can ever remember a bill that affects everybody in America as this bill does. It is a bill that has a lot of pages in it. But, as we know, it is printed the way all bills are printed. If we wanted to print it in smaller fashion--as books are written, for example--it

would be much smaller. It is a lot of words, and every word in it is important and necessary. Since yesterday evening, as I have indicated, this bill has been on the Internet. Everyone in the world can see this bill.

As the President asked us to do, this bill will not add a dime to the deficit--quite the opposite, in fact: It will cut it by $130 billion in the first 10 years and by as much as $\3/4\ trillion in the first 20 years. We do this by keeping costs down. This critical reform will cost less than $85 billion a year over the next decade, well under President Obama's goal.

We will make sure every American can afford quality health care. We will make sure more than 30 million Americans who do not have health care today will soon have it. We will not only protect Medicare, but we will make it stronger.

These numbers are as impressive as they are important for our Nation's future, and though we are proud of these numbers, these figures, we cannot afford to overlook what this is really all about. More accurately, we cannot afford to overlook whom this is about.

This is about a parent who cannot take a child to the doctor because insurance is too expensive, their employer canceled it, or they lost their job. That is why we are making sure every American can afford good coverage.

This is about the small business in Nevada or someplace else in the country that had to lay off an employee because it couldn't afford skyrocketing health care premiums. That is why we are cutting those small business taxes.

It is about the woman with high cholesterol or the man with heart disease or the child with hay fever who can't get help and can't get insurance. That is why we are stopping insurance companies from deciding they would rather not give health care to the sick.

This is about the family who has to make a terrible choice between their mortgage and their medications. When this bill passes, the only choice they will have to make is which insurance company offers them the best coverage. They will have the choice to make, and it is a good choice. The choice is, which best suits their family?

This is also about mothers and sisters and wives and daughters who cannot get the proper testing they need to detect breast cancer. It is inexcusable that women cannot get the tests they need. That is why we are making prevention and wellness a priority.

For these families and these businesses, for our economy's renewal, our children's future, and our Nation's promise, the finish line is in sight. I am confident we will cross it soon. Once again, I am inviting my Republican colleagues to join us on the right side of history.