[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   FEDERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS SHOULD ENROLL IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH CARE 
                                 SYSTEM

  (Mr. BLUNT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, would a government takeover of health care 
create jobs? The answer is clearly no. We should be focused on job one 
right now, which is find the jobs. But, Mr. Speaker, if the Energy and 
Commerce Committee had continued to work today, I would have introduced 
an amendment to require all Federal elected officials, including the 
President and Vice President, to set aside our health care benefits and 
enroll in their new idea of a government-run health care system.
  If the majority is really so confident that their plan will provide 
the very best health care to the people we represent, we ought to 
demonstrate that confidence by enrolling ourselves. I, for one, don't 
believe the government-run health care plan will be the best for the 
people we represent, but a government competitor will soon be the only 
one left.
  A government competitor, Mr. Speaker, would be like an elephant in a 
room full of mice. The fast mice can get out of the room as quick as 
they can. The slow mice get crushed, and only the elephant is left. It 
is time we put our health care where we want the American health care 
to be, Mr. Speaker, but it's also time we find the jobs.

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