Affordable Health Care For America Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WEINER. You know, there are honorable people on both sides of this debate; but there are moments that come along, and they come along about every generation or so, that make it clear why this side of the aisle are Republicans and why we're Democrats.

In 1935 when there was the Social Security Act and we decided we weren't going to allow 30 percent of seniors to slip into poverty, Democrats proposed, Democrats passed; Republicans opposed Social Security.

In 1965 when Medicare was passed, Democrats proposed, Democrats supported; Republicans opposed, and now Medicare is a fact of life. And the very same arguments that were made against Medicare then are being made tonight.

I hear this talk about the single-payer plan that's going to creep over. I can tell you I wanted a single-payer plan. I would like it to be there, but it's not. But you opposed it then, and now you claim to support it.

There's been a lot of talk about how big the bill is, but here's what it's all about: this is what Members of Congress get. This is a guidebook with affordable health care plans, many choices, deep discounts because we pool people together, minimum standards for each plan. This is what Members of Congress get, but they don't want you, the American people, to get it.

This is what it's about: they say they want to protect Medicare, but it was they who wanted to eliminate it. They say they want to protect Social Security. It was they who wanted to privatize it. Now they say we don't want to cover those who are uninsured because you shouldn't care.

Well, I say to my colleagues, who pay those bills? The bill fairy? Who pays those bills are you, the taxpayer. They say they want you to pay those, too.

When you look at how big the bills are, remember this document. Eight million Americans who work for the Federal Government, including my colleagues, get this document in the mail. They get good health care. We want it for you. They're going to get Medicare at 65. They don't say we don't want Medicare because we don't believe in single-payer. They want it because they want to take and take and take, but they don't want it for you.

The Democrats want this for you and the Republican Party just wants it for themselves.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source