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[roll call] [roll call] >> have all members and recorded to seek to be recorded? the clerk will give us the tally. >> mr. chairman, on that boat there were 28 ayes and 31 nose.

today at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span radio. >> this week, the senate committee voted to recommend the confirmation of sonia sotomayor as supreme court justice. watch the committee debate and see the vote today on c-span. then, next week, her confirmation moves to the senate floor. live coverage of the full senate debate on c-span two. and coming in october on c-span, tour the homes of america's highest court, the supreme court. >> connecticut senatorer christopher dodd announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. this event took place in hartford, connecticut. it's about 10 minutes.

>> i'm going to be fine. it's very, very manageable. the good news is i'm going to be back out and doing all the things to do in order to represent my states. thirdly i want to mention something i've talked a lot about over the last several weeks, but not in the context of the news today. as a member of congress, i have a very good health care plan. my health care plan allows me to get paid an annual physical. and because i have an annual physical, i was able to detect this cancer very early. i also then was able to take some time, because it is slow going, over the last six weeks, to talk to people about what's the best course of action to follow. i've developed a knowledge about prostate cancer as a result of

reading books and talking to people. the best course of action was recommended to me, and they made it be my choice in the end to do surgery. shortly after we recess next week, i'll have surgery done in new york at memorial stone kennedy to remove the prostate. then it will take a day or so in the hospital, i'll be back in connecticut at home for a couple of weeks after that, which they recommend. i'll be able to do work while at home. but the benefit in being in congress and having a good health care plan is not available to everyone. that is today 100 people in the state of connecticut will lose their health care coverage. for a person who loses health care coverage that physical may not be something you can afford. if you can afford the physical, you may not have the resources

to help you deal with the problem. i'm fortunate to have those benefits. so one of the things we've been fighting for and continue to fight for is get this national health care reform passed in the congress. i know it's controversial, it's hard. and while things fell apart a bit this week, i'm confident we'll get back on track. i've received a lot of calls this morning, from friends. i made the decision last evening about the course of action. and made a decision to be here this morning to tell people about it. why now? why tell you now. first of all, we can talk in abstractions about health care. but in some ways, what i'm going through, many people do. it's important that this gather here that an annual physical can make such a difference. if you can detect it early, i strongly recommend men over a certain age to get this done

every year. and also, i want to be able to remind people about this health care debate. i didn't want to be an exhibit necessarily when i was conducting the mark up. i knew i had it all through the month of june, but i didn't think i should be the issue. it's not about me. it's about people without health care our under insured. people who struggle every day. that is really a risk by not getting the job done. for that, i thank you for coming back. i feel fine, i'm going to be fine, we caught this early and look forward to getting back out on the trail and doing my jail on behalf of the people of connecticut. let me ask jackie if she has a comment? >> we're looking forward to them getting out of session, so we can get the opportunity, the girls and i will be ready to patch you up, get you back out there again. i would like to think that if this is how many hours you can

put in with cancer, i have no idea what you'll do without cancer. >> just so you know, i'll be running for re-election. now, i'll be a little leaner and a little meaner, but i'll be running. i'll be running without a prostate, but it may make a better candidate. >> you've had anything but a light schedule over the last ten months. how are you going to roll back? you've got an awful lot on your plate. >> well, august is a recess month. so, we're not in session. we'll be out of session next friday until september. so in a sense, it's vent. although there was a suggestion that we ought to do this sooner rather than later, so it fits into that schedule. i'm told by others that had long conversations with john kerry, i sit next to two united states senators on the banking committee, both of whom have

been through this. any number of people, of course, bob dole, others have done this. so i don't expect any real delay, and even mild periods of recuperation. it doesn't mean you're off in isolation. i'll be home, a light schedule is recommended. for a week or so, they just want you to take it easy. i anticipate by the end of the month i'll be out and about. >> senator -- i'm sorry. do you want to take mine? >> either, go ahead. i'll get it. tom, you go ahead. seniority, seniority. >> all right, go ahead tom. >> you had other options, how did you weigh those? >> well, there's three or four different options to go to. and one is what they call an act of surveillance, which a certain age and certain conditions is recommended. no one recommended that, even when i talked among raidologyists around the country

about this, everybody rejected that one. and the other two, there's a beam technology that you can use. and that's -- it's a little new in technology and people aren't as confident about it in many cases. it was back and forth, and i listened to all the various ideas about it. i don't want to boar you with too much of it. came down that probably the surgery made the most sense in my case. they let me make that choice. the doctors and every place said you really have to decide what is best, what you think is best for you. and so, really last evening talking with jackie, we decided that the surgery, weighing everything else, surgery made the most sense. >> senator, that was my question, so no radiation, no

chemo therapy? >> no, just the surgery. what's that? >> they usually don't use chemo, it's usually radiation or surgery. >> have you talked to senator kennedy? >> i talk to him almost every day. i didn't really tell him -- i kept this very quiet. i didn't tell members of my family about this. as many of you know, i lost a sister three weeks ago to lung cancer. i didn't want her to know because she had enough on her mind because she was dying. i didn't want to tell senator kennedy, because we're great pals and didn't need to worry about it. >> what did he say? >> if i can beat mine, you can beat yours. he was off on a sail boat! [laughter] >> and when did you say it will

be? >> early august, i think around that first week, no, second week in august. we're in session all this week. and so it's the second week. i'm not going to do it this week. and, again, went back and forth, and again, the doctors came highly recommended. we have great facilities here in the state. any follow up, it's close and near by. i haven't thought about that, tom. but that's not bad. >> no, but we had the opportunity to speak to a wonderful surgeon at john hopkins, bethese da naval, and friends across the country who happen to be doctors as well.

you couldn't go wrong with how he was going to treated. the girls are probably going to enjoy this time a great deal. >> does it run in your family? >> no, i lost my parents when i was young, and my sister, she was diagnosed on may 22 with lung cancer and died july 6. very fast. small cell cancer, which just raced through her. and my brother tom has had -- i've had some skin cancers, but -- but there was something about my grandmother, she died very young.

back in the early part of the 20th century. >> very common. >> which test picks it up? >> the blood test. it's a hard test to detect because of the location of the prostate. even when they do the buy on si, and they go in and probe with those needles and so forth, they can miss it. and so, in my case they've picked it up in several of the boards, of course, it came back out and pathology found it. >> studies indicate that it's not always -- >> the p.s.a., as i understand this again, if you're p.s.a., no matter what the levels are, consistent, they cannot indicate anything. it's when it spikes, mark. and mine spiked. and they said let's get a biopsy. >> it must have been hard for your little girls. >> they don't know about it yet. they're four.

>> no, they're very little and they don't watch tv except for pbs -- [laughter] so, we'll let them know right before the surgery. >> when do your doctors think you'll be back to a full schedule? >> end of august. based on what i've been told to anticipate in terms of recovery. it's surgery. they take a day or so in the hospital, maybe two. and then you're back home and they have you up and about moving around. and again, speaking to everybody that i've been able to talk to without this thing becoming widely known, my colleagues in the senate and others, they told me what happened with them.

the recovery rates are very high. in the 97% range. and looking at either radiation or surgery, those numbers are about the same. some varntes, a little bit of difference. all within the margin of errors. so the success rates have very, very high. i feel very confident that we're going to be in great shape. thank you. thanks. >> on this morning's "washington journal" we'll talk to --

>> on c-span radio, hear 1968 l. b.j. phone calls with his secretary of state deenrusk, presidential nominee richard nixon and billy graham. today on c-span radio. >> leading up to the august recess, house speaker nancy pelosi and other democratic leaders held a press conference to discuss the ongoing process of drafting health care reform legislation and a number of other issues on their agenda. this is just over 35 minutes.

>> good afternoon. 35 years ago this week, medicare was signed into law by president johnson. here we are about to move closer to health care reform than we have ever been in history. when we have our third committee report out the bill. on that note we go home into august to inform the public of the considerable accomplishments of this congress, this new direction congress. right from the start, we pass an economic recovery package, the largest in history in record time. hundred days later, just over a hundred days later, we passed the president's budget on his

100th day in office. he signed legislation, for nondiscrimination in the work place, our colleagues will address many of these issues more specifically. but we had the economic recovery act to begin with. helping americans save their homes, edward kennedy serve america act. as one said, book ends in our economic recovery package and 100 days later the budget. the president called for three pillars to turn the economy around. investment, education, in health care and a new energy policy for america. and we did just that. i congratulate the distinguished leader that we have passed all 12. no small feat and if it were not accomplished, it would be a small feat to do. in terms of quality health care, not only do we have our health care reform, we have food

safety, f.d.a. regulation of tobacco, and the list goes on. clean energy, you know about the clean energy act, the public lands management act. fiscal responsibility, our budget blueprint, and once again the leader taking responsibility for passing the statutory legislation. protecting consumers, credit card holders, fraud enforcement, military procurement reform, lily ledbetter i mentioned, strengthening the oversite of tarp. and the important responsibility we have in protecting the american people and passing the supplemental that we did earlier there year. and the bill for american fallen troops. now you see some of the recovery acts provision for public safety being distributed through the country.

so we're very proud. it's a time to pause and reflect on this very productive congress. as we go out to promote health care reform for all americans that have quality, affordability and accessibility. that will be done in a face cli sound way -- face cli -- fiscally more sound, and reduce the cost of our entitlements to the american people. so we're very, very proud of the work that we have done and we look forward to the commerce committee passing out its health care reform bill this afternoon so we will have all three of our committees reporting out. we'll prepare in august for how we go forward. and my colleagues will spend more time on that subject. but, i want to commend all the leadership. we've acted not only as a team but as a partnership. and our members have the stamina

and the courage, as well as the intellect and determination to get the job done for the american people. because it all comes down to them, what it means. how relevant it is to their kitchen table discussions, and person who has that foremost in mind as we proceed with our legislative agenda is mr. howier. >> thank you very much. i know i speak for every one in the caucus thanking you for your leadership over the last seven months. the american people, president of the united states barack obama, and this congress, as we came into office in january, confronted the worst economy this country has seen in 75 years. that was the legacy that we inheritted. we have acted to confront that legacy, to turn around the economy. to make the economy better for our people.

i believe that we are seeing real progress. we adopted a recovery act that not only sought to recover, but to reinvest in growing our economy. as members of congress leave washington to meet with their people, there are clean signs that our economy is continuing to recover from the recession we inheritted from the bush administration. just today we saw that the decline in our g.d.p. is tapering off from january to march. our economy decline at a rate of 6.4%. there is no wonder why we were hemorrhaging jobs and that our people were discouraged about their status. they're still facing tough times. we still have much work to do. but today's report shows there is a decline of only 1%.

one could say that's a 600% improvement. or one could say it's a 5% improvement. but it is an improvement. we see signs that 6.4% which was a 50-year record low. and the quarter just ended, as i said, the down to 1%. it shows that our economy is stabilizing. it also shows funds from the recovery act began to hit the economy. most economists believe that the full impact of the recovery act will be felt in the second half of the year. that is the third and fourth quarters. 1% decline was the second quarter. now, the stock market, and many of you heard me talk about how the stock market under bill clinton went up 226%. what does that mean?

that means if somebody had $100,000 in a savings account, that they build up over 30 years, in a retirement account, that at the end of the clinton years, it was worth $226,000, plus whatever earnings they had in that account. under george bush, and the eight years, the 96 months of the bush administration, na savings plan they had went down 26%. that's what those figures mean in real terms. the stock market has also shown real signs of a recoverying economy. since president obama took office, the dow is up 15%. the s&p is up 23%. and the nasdaq is up 38%. all all of those three indexes under the bush administration

over eight years were down. so, in this recovery period they've gone up. in fact, since president obama signed the recovery act, the dow has gained more than 13 how points. yet, there's some who say it's not working. while the people who are investing and buying stocks apparently think something's working, 1,300 points since the adoption of the recovery act, an increase of nearly 17% in the housing market. one of the crisises we recovered. we saw the largest monthly gain in nine years. it rose by nearly 11% in june. for the third straight month, new home construction is up. that is progress, that is success. it is not where we want to be. as long as there is is single foreclosure, as long as people can't sell homes when they want

to sell them or buy when they want to buy them, we haven't gotten to where we want to be. but we have made progress. on jobs, it's also clear we're seeing a reversal of the terrible damage done in the republican leadership. i use this statistic again for comparative sake. under the clinton administration in the private sector we created 21.8 million new jobs. that was 214,000 per month. why is that figure important? because you need 100,000 to stay even. what happened during the bush administrations? eight years, they created an average per month 96-months, 4,240 jobs. that meant they were 96,000 short of staying even. is there any wonder why the legacy of the last administration was so dire?

economists warned us that it would take longer to dig out of the hole. but stopping the economy slide, which appears to have happened, is the necessary first step in turns around unemployment. obviously, a great deal of work remains to be done. we're not out of the woods yet but we're on the right path. all of those facts show that democrats were right. and republicans didn't see the value apparently in the recovery and reinvestment act. but it continues to fund job creating projects across america. it continues to keep public servants like police officer teachers on their jobs, and continues to spark economic demand.

let me say although we're not where we want to be, like i said. we lost 200,000 less jobs over the last three months than we lost in the last three months of the previous administration. lastly, let me say that congressman alreadieson had to leave early. but if he were here he would talk about fiscal responsibility. when speaker pelosi offered the rules package, when she took over as the leader, one of the first things we did was put picko in our rules. we need to get a handle on the fiscal irresponsibility that had occurred over the previous six years. just a few weeks ago, we passed the statutory bill, which is now pending in the united states senate. which said we're going to make a very concerted effort, after having had to borrow significant sums to get this economy back on

its feet, we're going to make equal efforts to make sure that we return to the fiscal responsible days of the clinton administration. when we had surpluses of $5.6 trillion when the bush administration took over, and we had $11 trillion in deficits confronting us when we took over. so, in the terms of getting this economy back, reinstating fiscal responsibility, this congress has been an extraordinarily effective one. in my view, the most effective seven months of any congress in which i have served. i thank the speaker for her leadership and i now yield to my colleague who's counted the votes to get us to where we are, jim from south carolina. >> thank you very much. this is an historic congress.

and we are facing some horrific challenges. the worst economy since the great depression. massive job loss. and a health care system with rising costs that are bringing america's families, businesses, and the economy to their knees. under if presidential leadership, we decided to tackle these great challenges with bold solutions. and job creation and economic stability are at the top of the list. there's nothing more fundamental to the fiscal health of this nation, than the physical hept of every american. we laid the ground work for health reform by expanding the children's health insurance program to 11 million children. we further protected by granting the food and drug administration

authority to regulate the advertising, marketing, and manufacturing of tobacco products. the number one cause of preventable death in america. 1,000 children each day becoming new, regular smokers. we built on that foundation with significant funding in american recovery and reinvestment act, with investments to bring our health care system into the 21st century. modernizing the health care system to save lives, by health information technology systems, creating a new prevention and wellness fund with $1 billion. expanding community health care systems by $2 billion.

increasing funding for training of health care professionals and laying medical school expenses in return for practicing in under served communities. and just this week we passed landmark legislation to fundamentally change the way we protect the safety of our food supply. closing the gaps, exposed by the recent strain of food-born illnesses, given the food and drug administrations new authorities, tools and funding. but most significantly we took on the challenge that had evaded congress for 61 years. we moved forward to lower cost to consumers, preserve doctors and health plans and sheer

stability and peace of mind that coverage can't be delayed or denied. and sheer quality patience centered here. by the end of this day, i suspect this legislation will have moved through three committees in the house of representatives, and we will be one giant step closer to the american health care system where it never again will an individual be discriminated against for preexisting conditions. dropped from coverage, because of illness. forced to make job and life decisions based on losses coverage. forced to pay out of pocket expenses for preventive care. limited annually or in their lifetime on coverage. this august, as we leave, 256 of

us will go out to our communities and we will be talking about what this bill means to them. and i believe when we come back this september, this congress will be prepared to make history. with that, i'm pleased to yield to the vice chair of our caucus. >> i thank our whip and i am also here to pay great gratitude to the speaker and all the leadership. but most importantly to the members of the democratic caucus of the house. because we have been an active and engaged group of members who have taken on the task given to us by the president to make change for this country. so whether it's big change or small change, this house has been very active. whether it was moving to get this country back to work,

passing an economic recovery package, or whether it was simply beefing up the cops on the beat program to make sure there were 50,000 new police officers throughout our communities, ready to help our small businesses stay open, or make sure that child can go to school safely, we did it. whether it was moving towards a reform of our health care system that would drive down costs, and make sure that for the first time americans could say they could keep their health care, whether they were sick, had a change of job, or were female versus male. we're going to do that. or it could have been something as small as giving a child of a fallen u.s. soldier to pick up the g.i. bill that would have been his or hers as a soldier had he or she not perished in defense of this country. big ideas, they're all part of this congress to bring change to america. we have to be very proud. on behalf of our chairman john

alreadieson, i know he would like to tell everyone when you can grab 170 members of the democratic caucus, and have them sit over a course of five hours, to listen to health care reform, to the very nth degree, you know the members are very interested. and we have to be very proud. because when we get to the point of saying we have energy policy that changes america, when we have health care policy and put americans back to work, it will be because under the instruction, this house of representatives has been active and engaged. we are a do a lot congress and we're very proud of that. with that, i would like to introduce the assistant to the speaker. >> let me thank my colleague for all his good work. and i'm very pleased to be with my colleagues today on what really has been a celebration of

historic congress. it's been historic in many ways, and one of the ways we've moved the country forward is through finally getting serious about changing our national energy strategy. in a way that moves us forward into the 21st century. through the actions, we have strengthened our national security, by reducing our reliance on foreign oil. at the same tile, put more people back to work here in this country invetting in clean energy technologies, and energy efficiency. i think the american people know that we export hundreds of billions of dollars a year overseas to the middle east andor places around the oil to purchase foreign oil. when we should be investing in putting people back to work in clean energy technologies and energy efficiency. that's exactly what we've done, beginning with the scommick recovery package, where we made an unprecedented investment in

clean energy technology and energy efficiency. the vice president just announced, not too long ago at the white house, that that money's already being put to work. the dt of energy has already identified $30 billion worth of projects. and over $7 billion of money is already in the system. that was followed through by a landmark piece of legislation. spearheaded by speaker of the house and the president of united states to finally move this country toward a situation where we really put an end to our reliance on foreign oil. and also help protect our environment. it was a win, win, win, protecting our national security. protecting an increasing job here at home and investment. and of course protecting our

planet from problems associated with global climate change and all the incredible costs that that would bring with it. we also passed legislation and renewed that today. the very successful cash for clunkers -- clunkers for cash, cash for clunkers program, i got it right. which has obviously been a big success with american people. again, accomplishing two goals at the same time. number one, helping to revive and resuscitate the u.s. auto industry and help keep people in their jobs in that industry. and at the same time, advance our goal of reducing our reliance on foreign oil by getting people to switch from gas guzzling cars to more fuel efficient cars. two very important objectives. we've also passed the green school modernization legislation here in the house, as well as a number of other measures to finally get serious.

and finally i think we all believe that the american peel should have an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful areas of this country. god's given beauty to this country, and to the planet. we believe we should set aside more areas for the enjoyment of the american people. and we passed the public lands management act, which was the most significant conservation piece of legislation to pass in 15 years. and opened many more areas for the enjoyment of the american people. so, when you look at the whole area of energy policy, and protecting environment and conservation, we've made historic strides. so, i want to thank the speakerer if her leadership, especially in passing the american clean energy and security act as part of the

other historical efforts we've undertaken in this congress. thank you. >> i thank my colleagues for their presentation and leadership. but you see, we take great pride in the advancements that we have made for the american people. and we presented with you all of the commitment and specifyity. one of the pillars of the president's budget is education. congressman miller is not with us here, but his committee has already passed out the education bill which will be part of our agenda when we come back in september. that's about early childhood education, many more young people getting pell grants and a higher rate of pell grants and making higher education more affordable. so, again, we heard the

commitments, the specifics the array of legislation that we're very proud of to take the country in a new direction. but again, they honor the principles of our budget, education, health care, negotiation policy, to create good jobs to turn our economy around. to do so in a way which lowers the deficit, creates job and gets tax cuts to 95% of the american people. and in that spirit of celebration and pride that we take, we would be pleased to take any questions that you may have. >> we have worked very hard to get the appropriations s bill on

time. we've accomplished that objective, working with senator reed in the senate with chairman of the senate of appropriations committee. i know they have been talking on a regular basis. they passed four bills now, we will work on trying to get agreement on conferences for those four bills. i talked to snart murray, who's part of the senator leadership. at the last leadership meeting, they're working very hard to get another four, five, six of those bills to the floor in september. they may not get all eight of the remaining bills to the extent that they do. we hope to conference those and have as many bills passed prior to september 30th when the fiscal year ends. if it does not end, we may need a very short term c.r. for the remaining bills, we hope there are very few of them. but for the remaining bills, we would then hope to complete certainly in october.

>> [inaudible] >> it certainly should but it shalled also measure the benefits of prevention to our health care system. i appreciate your question. certainly we'll be hearing a great deal from our members about the health care industry and what it has done to the health of our country. you have a situation where consumers in our country are at the mercy of the health care industry. you see c.e.o.'s of these industries making millions of dollars a year, indied, many of

them millions dollars a month for their leadership, and withholding benefits to people in need of help. but as far as we are concerned, we think that is why we need to have this new legislation, and that it should have a robust public option in it. to keep the health insurance industry honest. to encourage competition, to provide better care, and lower cost for more people in our country. mr. wrangles doesn't ever have a problem promoting his message as you well know, but certainly, as we go out there with the president leading the way, with his commitment to universal health care for all americans, and us being a drum beat, an echo, i think you'll see a change. we've been hard at work building

consensus in our caucus as we weigh a message. now we'll be mostly focused on the message part the glory days are coming to an end for the health insurance industry in our country. i have said that their profits are obscene. they have increased enormously over the past two years at the expense of america's consumers. that's why what's in it for the consumers is no longer will an insurance company be able to withhold insurance because you have a precysting medical condition. no longer can they pull back, rescind your insurance if you get ill. no longer will you lose your health insurance if you lose your job, change jobs, start a business, be self employed. you will still have health insurance. and think of what that means for the vitality of our economy, so we can encourage

entrepreneurship, and can take more risk. there will be a cap on what you pay to the insurance companies each year. but no caps on the benefits that you received. do you know anybody who has cancer? do you know any people with disabilities or diabetes? they will not have a cap on the benefits they receive. this makes all the difference in the world, in their health and their economic security. the health insurance industry is the biggest opponent, biggest opponent of this legislation passing, and with a public option in it. because they know the glorglory days are over for them. the leverage has switched to the consumer. congress and the president will be moving the insurance agency from coming between the patient and his or her doctor. >> where are you going to get the fire power to counter what you call a campaign of lies and misinformation on health reform.

>> is that what i called it? did i call it that? >> what we talked about was the not coming, but ongoing campaign of distortions and disinformation that you see out there throughout the country. because what they are engaged in are the battles they waged in previous years, back in the 1990's, even forming medicare, which we're preezed to celebrate the anniversary a few days ago. you saw the same kind of tactics used. sometimes they've been successful. fortunately, medicare is a great example of where they were not successful. we want to make sure that when our member goss home, they have the information they need, and they do have the information they need to talk to the american people about what this

health reform legislation means for them. as the speaker said, it will bring down people's health care cost by providing more choice and competition. and it will make sure that people are not denied the coverage insurance companies now deny through their own form of rationing health care. so, we're going to make sure when our members go back home, that they are going to be talking to their stitch wents and the american people about the importance of health care reform. because as the president and others have said, the one way to ensure your premiums will go up, and the one way to ensure that you will continue to be denied care based on preexisting conditions, or have insurance companies take away a benefit when you need it the most is to support the status quo and do nothing. >> you think it's more than members going home and talking to people? >> i think it will. you have a lot of allied

organizations that are already out there carrying the message and will intensify that message over the next six weeks. aarp is an organization, they've endorsed the legislation. the a.m.a., which was opposed to medicare back in 1965. this time, it's on board in support of this legislation. and if you look at some of the other hate media people are seeing on television, you see people on board. at the same time, you've got a lot of misinformation coming out of far right wing radio, talk radio, and other outlets. we need to make sure we get the message out there. and we're confident that the american people will support this legislation, and we're doing to make sure that health care reform cousin not get swift voted in the month of august. >> i would only add that i was

counting on you all. i was hoping that you you, as supporters of the truth would put out the story and dispel the myth scaring seniors when the aarp is supporting the legislation. if you're a senior, you are helped by this bill, by closing the doughnut holes of prescription drugs and making medicare stronger. and if you are a small business, if you are a small business, you will receive tax credit to provide coverage for your employers. and employees. and this in a way that recognizes the special needs of small business. and if you are a person who becomes sick, many family cans escape bankruptcy each year due to unaffordable health benefits. but their needs are addressed in this legislation. we have given these cards to our members to hold the insurance

companies accountable. we urgently need reform, and this is available to all of you, and it talks about what's in it for the american people. i've spoken to many of these points already. but there will be a drum beat across america, a positive drum beat across america about what this means to the american people, for them individually in the families, for our business to be anywhere competitive, our economy to be more dynamic, for our budget to be more in balance by reducing the upward spiral of health care cost. and it will be done again in a fiscally sound way that takes down the curve, and to disspell the myth that are being put out there. this is a shock and awe carpet bombing by the industry to per pet wait the status quo.

where you can't insure -- you know you cannot insure a health insurance company? you cannot sue them. if they deprive you of the procedure that your doctor and your hospital need you. but this bill corrects a good deal of that, doesn't go into the suit, but it goes into the recourse that a person will have. but make no mistake, facts mean nothing to them, mythology is their game. misreputation is their currency. and beintend to set the record straight. in some places, by knock lating against their misreputations. i'm so confident of the wisdom of the american people, and the fairness of the press, that our message will come through. >> thank you folks. >> thank you.

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