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Time to Provide Health Care for All Americans
House of Representatives - May 11, 2005

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Florida got up here and talked about the fact that we should work together as Democrats and Republicans. Let us have a little review of history, and I think the gentleman was here when it all happened.

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In 1993 and 1994, President Clinton presented a health care plan for every American. The Republicans took the position that any plan run by the government was a bad one, and they took pride and bragged in the next election over the fact that they had killed the Clinton health care plan.

Now, 1994 is more than 10 years, and we have yet to see any proposal come out of the Republicans. Not a single member of the Republican caucus has been able to get a hearing or lay a bill before a committee. There are many of us who put bills before the Congress. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) put one forward, I put one forward, as did the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell).

Where are the Republican proposals to do anything about the American people's health care problem? It is the number one cause of bankruptcy. It is time.