Meghan Hughes (202-224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864-250-1417)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement on the health care legislation unveiled by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) late Wednesday. 

 

“Remember Enron accounting?  Well, I believe even Enron executives would be embarrassed by some of the accounting gimmicks used in this bill. 

 

“The legislation will never be paid for and adds to the piles of debt future generations must repay.  It also walks us down the road to government-run, government-controlled health care by including a public option which destroys the market for private health care in the United States.  Eventually, as the government takes over health care, we’re going to start rationing care. 

 

“The legislation also says we are going to cut Medicare by nearly $500 billion.  We tried to reign in Medicare spending by $33 billion and put the funds toward shoring up the system in future years.  The effort only received two dozen votes in the Senate.  The Senate hasn’t shown a willingness to rein in Medicare spending by fifty cents, much less $500 billion. 

 

“It’s hard to believe, but we are going to begin debating major, structural changes to one-sixth of our economy in the next few days.  No one fully understands the long-term impact this bill will have on health care or what it will do to our economy.  The ink on the bill is not yet dry, but we’re planning to start voting on it this weekend.  It’s not the way we should be doing the people’s business.” 

 

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