(Mr. GUTHRIE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, over the recent district work period I traveled to each county in my district, listening to constituents' ideas and concerns and answering questions. I heard overwhelmingly that a government-run public option was not a viable answer to the problems Americans are facing.
The President gave a well-delivered speech last week, but left many questions in the minds of the American people: How do we pay for such a bill? How can you cut funding for Medicare without impacting the millions of seniors who receive the benefits? How will individuals who are happy with their coverage get to keep the care they have?
Everyone agrees on the need for improvement. However, we must move toward changes that make health care more affordable, more accessible and of higher quality. We have an opportunity to work together to improve the lives of all Americans by crafting a bipartisan, commonsense solution that our country can afford.