Health Care Redux

Floor Speech

Mr. FLEMING. Mr. Speaker, as the health care negotiations have droned on for months behind closed doors led by Reid and Pelosi without the participation of the American people, Republicans and even many Democrats, what do we have to show for it?

We have the Louisiana Purchase, the Corn Husker Kickback, backroom deals with special interests, protection of the trial lawyers, and, finally, an embarrassing deal with the unions that allows them to be exempt from a 40 percent excise tax on ``Cadillac'' health care plans that the rest of the Nation will be subject to.

To my colleagues: Have you no shame?

What happened to the President's promises of open debate on C-SPAN and inviting Members of Congress to come to the White House to go over the health care bill ``line by line''?

I submit today that we scrap the flawed documents under consideration and immediately begin a bipartisan discussion on how to truly reform health care in this country in a way that does not involve higher taxes, higher costs to policyholders, and even more governmental interference in our daily lives.

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