[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17661]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, we're closing in on a moment in American 
history that has taken over 70 years to reach. In the mid-1930s, 
Franklin Delano Roosevelt considered a proposal that would extend 
health care coverage to every American. But he withdrew the idea 
because the political will was not up to the challenge at the time. But 
times have changed.
  President Obama has called on the Congress to pass comprehensive 
health care reform legislation--and he has the support of the American 
people behind him, especially the middle class.
  There are countless facts and figures to support his effort. There 
are maps, there are charts, there are all kinds of spread sheets, but 
there is one fact that stands out above all others: Every American 
today either faces his or her own health care crisis or knows someone 
who is.
  When Americans play by the rules but see their economic lives 
threatened and destroyed because of their medical expenses, America 
must change. We are at the crossroads of providing a fair deal for the 
American people. But we cannot take progress for granted. Times like 
this don't come along very often. We cannot afford to let this one fall 
short.

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