[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5249-5250]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HEALTH CARE REFORM

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, last December, just minutes before the 
Senate passed the health care reform bill that President Obama signed 
into law last month, my friend, the Republican leader, predicted we 
would get an earful when we got home, and he was right. Everywhere I 
went in Nevada, from the two big cities of Reno and Las Vegas, to Elko 
and Carson City and my hometown of Searchlight, Nevadans, young and 
old--people, in general--came up to me and said: Thank you--numerous 
people, without any exaggeration.
  One mother told me how grateful she was she could finally cover her 
child's health care. Her child has juvenile diabetes. Parents such as 
she told me how grateful they were that they would be able to keep 
their kids on their insurance until they are 26 years old. Out-of-work 
Nevadans--and there is more than one I would like to acknowledge--
explained to me how grateful they were that finally they will be able 
to afford their own health care while they try to find a full-time job.
  Seniors, individually and in groups, told me how grateful they are 
now that they will not have to worry about whether they are going to 
have to split a pill or take a pill because the doughnut hole has been 
filled. Everyone--every senior citizen in America, every Social 
Security recipient--understands what the doughnut hole was and isn't 
anymore.
  Many small businesses told me that because of the tax cuts this 
Congress passed and our President signed into law because of the health 
care bill this year, they will be able to afford health insurance for 
the first time in their lives for their employees--24,000 of those 
small businesses in Nevada.
  These people haven't been fooled by the opposition's strategy of 
myths and misinformation. They aren't frightened by the campaign of 
fear and false cries of socialism.
  I know I am not the only one who got an earful of thanks from 
constituents whose lives are changing for the better because of this 
historic reform. I also heard one other thing everywhere I went: This 
law should not be repealed.
  A week ago this Sunday, I returned from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, 
and the front page of the Salt Lake Tribune had a story, which I will 
paraphrase, but basically it said that those people in Utah are no 
longer talking about repealing the bill; they are talking about trying 
to improve the bill.
  It is hard for people to talk about repealing this bill which gives 
such immediate benefits to the American people. It is difficult to try 
to have someone say I would like this bill repealed because I do not 
agree with the $1.3 trillion by which this legislation is going to 
reduce the debt of this country in the second 10 years--$142 billion in 
the first 10 years.
  I explained to people at home, if you have a fight in a ring, you 
have a referee, a referee there to be as fair as they can to make sure 
it is a fair fight. In this health care debate, we had such an entity 
in the ring with us as we battled, Democrats and Republicans. It was 
set up many years ago, this referee; it was called the Congressional 
Budget Office. It is not run by Republicans or Democrats. It is there 
to be fair. It is their determination this legislation over the first 
10 years would save $142 billion, the second 10 years would reduce the 
debt by a further $1.3 trillion.
  People all over America, and Nevadans, now have more control than 
ever over their health, more protection from insurance companies, and 
more opportunity than ever before to have a healthy life.
  As it relates to the economy, Nevadans know that health reform is 
economic reform. It will save families money in the short run and save 
our country money in the long run. But they also know we have to do 
more. We have to make more investments today to help our economy run 
better tomorrow. One of the best ways to do that is by creating green 
jobs, and that has worked so well, jobs right here at home that can 
never be outsourced, jobs that strengthen our Nation's economic, 
environmental and national safety and security.
  Boulder City is a city in Nevada. It was built because of the Boulder 
Dam, now Hoover Dam. It is a great and beautiful little city. It is the 
only city in Nevada that has a growth ordinance. But they have also 
been very farsighted. I extend my appreciation to Mayor Tobler and all 
the city council. They have set up a zone where they are creating green 
jobs, and lots of green jobs. I went there. It is between Railroad Pass 
and Searchlight and part of it is Boulder City. It was amazing what we 
saw there. For acre after acre, workers, men and women in their hard 
hats and their orange vests, were placing 1 million solar panels in 
place--1 million in the desert to produce enough electricity for about 
45,000 homes. It is the largest plant of its type in the world. There 
may be one in Spain that may be a tiny bit bigger, but let's assume it 
is not. It is a huge plant. We have this going on all over Nevada as a 
result of the economic recovery package and tax incentives we give 
people to build green energy--clean energy jobs. That vast array in the 
middle of the desert, dotted by countless hard hats worn by people 
working very hard, was truly an impressive sight.
  This afternoon at 5:30 we are going on to something extremely 
important, especially for people who have been struggling in America. 
We need to continue supporting projects such as, of course, the solar 
plant in Boulder City and continue moving toward a clean energy 
economy. They demand critical long-term investments and we have a long 
way to go. But there are additional things we can do right now this 
afternoon at 5:30 to help millions of hard-working Nevadans and 
Americans struggling to find work. These are not deadbeats; these are 
not bums; these are people who are out of work and have been out of 
work for a long time and have struggled to find a job. If we pass this 
emergency extension of unemployment and health benefits, we can give 
those unemployed families the help they need to put food on the table 
or go to the doctor.
  Some on the other side flatly refuse to do so. To them it doesn't 
matter that these people lost their jobs through no fault of their own 
or that they are desperate to find a new full-time job and that this is 
an emergency, not only for our families but for our country. Many of 
those who oppose this extension voted to give tax breaks to rich chief 
executive officers who shipped American jobs overseas. Now that their 
constituents are trying to find jobs of their own, I hope they will 
consider giving them at least the

[[Page 5250]]

short-term help they need and need critically. If Republicans continue 
blocking unemployment assistance, 1 million Americans will lose that 
lifeline by the end of this month.

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