The Latham Report: A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
Washington,
Jun 26 -
Health care and financial security are two concerns I hear about most often from Iowans. Unfortunately, partisan bickering has eroded any progress on real solutions for these issues. And, as Iowans know, partisan bickering and political posturing do not take Americans a single step closer to health and financial security.
When looking at these issues it is important for us to acknowledge that the problems we face with health care and financial security are just too big for any one person or political party to fix.
I have taken an important pledge to show my commitment to working to accomplish health care and financial security for all Americans when I recently signed the Divided We Fail pledge. Divided We Fail is a nationwide initiative that led by the AARP, the Business Roundtable, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Service Employees International Union. The groups have joined forces to work for bipartisan action on these issues.
I signed the pledge because I believe in this effort, and am committed to working with my colleagues—regardless of political party—to develop and implement policies that provide all Americans with access to quality, affordable health care and lifetime financial security. The pledge lets everyone know I understand that Americans and Iowans in particular, want answers, action and accountability from their elected officials—not a legislative stalemate.
The goals of this pledge are vast, but practical enough that there is no reason why we cannot find real solutions. We want to provide every American with information about the quality, cost and effectiveness of health care services. We want to help people understand the federal policies aimed at preventing illness and promoting good health. We want to create policies that reduce health care costs while maintaining health care quality, and we want to develop secure medical technologies and electronic medical records while providing Americans choices when it comes to affordable long-term care.
The pledge is also a call to action. We want to strengthen Social Security in a common sense manner. We want to provide all Americans with greater access to retirement plans. We want to give people financial incentives to save money and provide them the tools to better manage their finances and help them prepare for life in their golden years that they have worked so hard to achieve.
We, as a nation, need to root out partisanship and finger pointing in government. This effort puts a broken Washington on notice that we will accept no more excuses, no more empty promises, and no more political partisanship. It is time to roll up our sleeves and work together to get the job done for the American people.
So, please, join me in reaching out across the aisle. Join me in being part of the solution, and not part of the problem. Together we can tear down the walls that hold us back and we can overcome the challenges put before us. But we must do it together, because a house divided against itself cannot stand.
