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“We won an important victory today for Americans who need a voice in Washington. In a bipartisan vote, the Senate stuck up for the poor children, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities who are served by Medicaid.
“President Bush’s budget chose to give millionaires a little more play money instead of living up to our responsibility to those in need, and the Senate correctly set our budget priorities straight.
“Thanks to Sen. Bingaman’s work with both Democrats and Republicans, we have made a bad budget a little bit more compassionate and consistent with bedrock American values. Now we need to work together not just to stop deep health care cuts from happening, but to address America's real and present crisis in health care for our children.”
Senator Kerry is a cosponsor of the Smith-Bingaman amendment as well as a cosponsor of legislation they have introduced (S. 338) to create a bipartisan Commission on Medicaid that would make recommendations about the long-term financing and policy needs of the program. Today's amendment not only stripped the proposed funding cuts but provided for the establishment of the Commission.
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