Senate Proceeding on Mar 19th, 2009 :: 3:25:20 to 3:34:20
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3:25:16 to 3:25:37( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: whitehouse has the floor at this time. mr. whitehouse: madam president the presiding officer: the mr. whitehouse: madam president, i thank so much the distinguished chairman of the environment and public works committee for her passionate defense of our natural resources resources. she is a constant ally of the

3:25:20 to 3:34:20( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Sheldon Whitehouse

3:25:38 to 3:26:00( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: very best that we call forth from each other as senators where our most precious environmental concerns are engaged. and so it's an honor to follow her. and before i yield the floor to the very distinguished senator from new hampshire, who's already made such a wonderful impact here in the senate, i just want to say a few words

3:26:01 to 3:26:21( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: budget. across the country, families sit at their kitchen tables and talk and make tough choices their own family budgets, about what they can afford to spend, about what they have to save, what will they do for the kids to go to college, what will they do if the car breaks down, what will they do if an elderly parent becomes

3:26:22 to 3:26:42( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: ill, how will they use the finances wisely to plan for the future. this year those choices for american families are more difficult than ever. we've got famies in rhode island, as i'm sure we have across the country, fighting to save their homes, to save their jobs, to save their health care. the bills pile up and all too often there's not enough to pay

3:26:43 to 3:27:03( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: them. well, our country is in a deep hole too, but i would like to remind my colleagues that it was not always this way. in january of 2001, when george bush became president, the congressional budget oice, which is the nonpartisan accounting arm of congress that

3:27:04 to 3:27:26( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: does our budget outlook on a regular basis, they projected that we would see surpluses straight through the decade. these budget surpluses, the product of president clinton's responsible governing, were projected to be enough to completely wipe out our national

3:27:27 to 3:27:48( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: debt by 2009, this very year. imagine a debt-free america this year. well, george bush fixed that. usually when american families have a surplus, they use it responsibly. they pay down credit debt, they make a mortgage payment, they put it away in retirement savings, they set it aside for

3:27:49 to 3:28:09( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: college for the kids, or they spend it on like a down payment on a car or a house. well, president bush cuts for the wealt americans, a misguided war he wouldn't pay for, and irresponsible economic policies, leaving a mountain of debt to the next administration.

3:28:10 to 3:28:30( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: he, of course, had the enthusiastic support of republican -- of a republican congress, which was with him every step of the way into this debt. today, the difference between the president clinton and the actual

3:28:31 to 3:28:51( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: deficit r is a staggering $8.9 trillion. $8.9 trillion on america from the bush administration and its republicanq allies in congress. so that's what president obama

3:28:52 to 3:29:12( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: inherited, a legacy of reckless rrowing, bad decisions, compounded by skyrocketing unemployment and now a deepening recession that only adds to our country's fiscal woes. president obama is trying to help us dig our way mess by focusing his budget on the policies and the programs that will repair our economy and

3:29:13 to 3:29:33( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: create the foundation for a long-term economic growth and success for america. he proposed and we passed an economic recovery plan to create jobs and support struggling families and make badly needed investments infrastructure during this recession. it wasn't exprt it probably won't be enough -- it wasn't perfect and it probablyon't

3:29:34 to 3:29:54( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: was a good start. now, the same republican party that thought tax cuts for the rich and were good uses. the same republican party that ran up the $8.9 trillion debt on our country now has its leaders

3:29:55 to 3:30:15( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: calling president obama's plans the fle children. it is hard to page in this irony eludes them. president obama wants to cut taxes for working families, invest in renewable energy, help more young people get a college education an reform our broken

3:30:16 to 3:30:36( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: -- and reform our broken health care system. key priorities for the future of america. some who stood by while our country became more and more dependent on foreign oil while the cost of a college education went through the roof and while a crisis brewed in our health care system are calling these

3:30:37 to 3:30:57( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: investments in our future a remarkable spending binge. once again the department of irony appears to be open late on the other side of the aisle. families in america know that we won't get out of this mess with the same failed policies that got us into it. it is time for new priorities and that's what president obama's budget offers.

3:30:58 to 3:31:19( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: perhaps our greatest challenge, certainly one of our greatest challenges, and opportunities, is presented by our broken and dysfunctional health care system. unless we take serious remedial action and soon, right away, this recession that we are living through now will seem like an economic speed bump, compared to what will happen

3:31:20 to 3:31:42( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: when that $35 trillion in medicare liability against which we have set not one bearing down on us. we had a lot of fighting in t body about the recovery and reinvestment act. the recovery and reinvestment

3:31:43 to 3:32:03( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: act was $800 billion. compare that to the bush debt that i just talked about that they ran up of $8.9 trillion. where was the complaining then? and compare that to the $35 trillion liability we face where are the serious ideas about how problem?

3:32:04 to 3:32:24( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: i think when you put these problems to scale, you will see that that wave of tsunmai of health care costs is do something about. we are facing truly the financial ruin of the health care system and if nothing is

3:32:25 to 3:32:45( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: done the financial ruin of our we should make sure that health care reaches every american and president obama's plan makes a down payment on that reform it is not just enough to get coverage for everydy. it is not just enough to get everybody on board if the boat itself is sinking. we have two toolboxes out of

3:32:46 to 3:33:06( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: whic mess. one reduc coverage, cuts benefits, pays providers less, and raises taxes. that the old-fashioned toolbox. it will work at the fiscal repair, but it will it will be wrong, and we should do everything we can to prevent it. th other toolbox reforms the

3:33:07 to 3:33:28( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: health care system itself making it more intelligent, with an information technology infrastructure so that every american can count on their own secure electronic health record. with the improve and quality of health care so we maximize the effectiveness and reducing the

3:33:29 to 3:33:50( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: cost a with reform paifing for health care so that the health care we want i the health care that we're paying for. the president sees that all of this is doable and that we need to start now and his economic recovery legislation put nearly $20 billion into health information infrastructure. but the president knows there is much more to be done. that these delivery system

3:33:51 to 3:34:12( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: reforms in health care can't just be flipped on like a light switch. they will require complex workforce, regulatory and infrastructure changes and then those changes will have to be implemented and adminis it will take some years and we need to start now. the obama budget starts us on that course to fix our broken health care system.

3:34:13 to 3:34:20( Edit History Discussion )

Sheldon Whitehouse: i find it unfortunate that our republican colleagues don't seem to appreciate the seriousness of these problems and have become a