mr. barrasso: thank you thank you, mr. president. the 2000, 2007 issue of the aarp bulletin one that i received in the mail, it contains an interesting opinion piece written by the senate majority leader, harry reid. right there, front page, senate leader reid and his opinion piece is titled "the health care law is already working." well, i come to the floor, mr. president, as i do from time to time to give a doctor's second opinion, and i have a second opinion today about the piece had the aarp paper. i find the title, the choice, the words, the new health care law works, i find those ironic especially as the american people continue to express negative views about president obama's health care law. so i come to the floor as a physician who has practiced medicine in wyoming taking care of wyoming families for a quarter of a century, to talk about the health care law and talk about health care in america. what we see, mr. president, is a growing majority of americans want to see the entire law repealed. repealed and replaced with pat

mr. barrasso: it would. it would undermine the argument of the president who says well, this is going to pay for itself when, in fact, it is not. it is interesting, if you just ask people who are watching at home, people when you go to town hall meetings and you say do you think under this health care law that your health care is going to be better or worse, they will tell you that it's going to be worse. very few people think that their health care is going to be improved under this -- the law that the president has forced through. and then you ask this same group of people, a cross section of people in any of our states if they think that the cost of their care is going to go down like the president promised or go up, they all say no, no, it's going to go up. it's going to have to be either paying more, getting less, unhappy with it, which is why i think yesterday in ohio, two-thirds of the voters who turned out -- and the margin was over a million voters different between those who are for and against, th

barrasso, as to what we are reporting in our medicare and you statement. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. coburn: this booklet, which will be available on coburn coburn.senate.gov and barrasso barrasso.senate.gov for every medicare patient out there explains exactly what has happened to medicare in the last year and a half. it explains $530 billion have been cut out of medicare. it explains that physician reimbursement cuts were not addressed when we addressed health care and consequently a 27% cut is coming if congress doesn't change that. it explains that medicare advantage, both the options and the number of people eligible for that, has been taken away by the affordable care act. it explains that the class act was put in to save money, but in fact won't save money and now has been abandoned by the administration. it explains the fact that there is an independent payment advisory board whose sole purpose is to cut payments for medicare procedures and supplies and drugs to save money, even when that will instigate the loss of available drugs. and finally, it creates a $10 billion trust

mr. barrasso: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, in 19 years since his graduation from the university of wyoming college of law, judge skavdahl has distinguished himself both as an attorney and a trial judge. after working in the private sector and clerking for u.s. district judge william downes, judge skavdahl was appointed by the former governor to serve as a district court judge for wyoming's seventh judicial district. during his time on the state bench, judge skavdahl earned the respect of the attorneys and the parties appearing in his court. he earned that respect for his integrity and his ethics to carry out his duties. he earned that respect for his reasoned decisions. he earned that respect for the manner, the manner in which he conducts himself in the courtroom and for being prepared and for his knowledge of the law. there is no doubt in my mind that judge skavdahl will bring those same skills and that respect for the law that he exhibited in the seventh judicial district to

mr. barrasso: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: wowcts. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent for to speak for up to ten minutes as if in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: i come up to the floor as a i physician who has practiced medicine in wyoming for over a quufort a century, get over -- for over a quarter after century, get home every weekend to visit with my former colleagues, former patients. as i talk to constituents about the formerly passed health care law, they are concerned. that's why i keep coming back to the senate floor with a doctor's second opinion about the health care law. because what we know patients would like in terms of health care is that the care that they get -- they get the care they need from a doctor they want at a cost that they can afford. and for many, many people across this country, the cost that they can afford is a major, major issue, which is why i think so many people were happy to hear the president in his initial talk about what he was pro

mr. barrasso: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming is recognized. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i come to the floor today to talk about the environmental protection agency, the e.p.a., and they're implement ago cap-and-trade program for what's called cross-state air pollution. now, i oppose this new regulation, and i support the resolution of disapproval that we'll be voting on later today. led by the earnings washington bureaucrats are tying up america with red tape. they're tying up our nation and they're tying up the american people. this year alone, the e.p.a. has issued over 400 final rules. use thithese are rules that do e effect of law. that's over two rules per day so far that each day that the "federal register" has been open for business in 2011. imagine any business in the united states -- in our home communities -- businesses having to comply with two new e.p.a. rules each day that you're open for business, and of course if you don't comply, then you face thousands of dollars in fines. this is just business as usual f

mr. barrasso: mr. president, reserving the right to object. there are still questions that need to be answered and information that needs to be provided, mr. president, by mr. kopocis. i am concerned about the depth of his past involvement to change the scope of the clean water act beyond congressional intent. to me, this nominee still needs to explain his views on public and stakeholder input on regulations that he would be in charge of and explain his understanding -- his understanding -- of the role of congress versus the role of the environmental protection agency in terms of who makes the laws in this country. until those issues are clarified, i do not believe it is appropriate for this nominee to move forward. and, therefore, mr. president, i object. mr. cardin: mr. president? mr. mccain: mr. president, i ask for the regular order. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland has the floor. mr. cardin: mr. president, i'm going to yield the floor in one moment. let me just say to my friend from wyoming, i'm going to do my best to make

mr. barrasso: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, first i would like to congratulate and thank my khraoerbgs the senior senator from yew -- my colleague, the senior senator from utah for his continued leadership on the issue of health care. as the ranking member on the finance committee, he has been a stalwart and strong supporter in efforts to get health care for american people, health care that they need from a doctor that they want at a price they can afford. and amazing in his fight against what this body and the house of representatives and what the president has forced on to the people all across this country, which to me has been bad for patients, bad for the providers for those patients, the nurses and doctors who take care of them, and terrible for the taxpayers. that's why week after week, mr. president, i come to the floor to give a doctor's second opinion about the health care law and why i'm so pleased to be here with my colleague today to join in the introduction of thi