Lewis: Health Care Package is the “Wrong Path for the Congress, and the Wrong Path for this Country”

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Appropriations Ranking Republican Jerry Lewis gave the following statement today on the impending health care vote:
 
"If this massive health care overhaul passes today, it will be a temporary victory for liberal partisans, but a stunning loss for the American people. This trillion-dollar legislation will never live up to the lofty promises of the Democrat majority. It will raise taxes and cost American jobs. It will put the government smack in the middle of personal health decisions by American individuals and families. It will put the future of Medicare in great financial jeopardy. And, it will undoubtedly plunge our country into further skyrocketing deficits and debt.
 
“Yet, let's also not forget that the American people will have to start paying now, THIS YEAR, for a program that isn't suppose to kick in until years down the road. This puts an even greater strain on our nation's precarious finances, and will force decisions in the coming months that could affect our most essential priorities - such as our national defense.
 
"Despite all the heated rhetoric and the partisan arm-twisting, the vote today boils down to one point: this it is the wrong path for this Congress, and the wrong path for this country. I hope that my colleagues today make the right choice, vote down this flawed plan, and work together across the aisle to create a plan that solves our health-care challenges without these serious side-effects."