Senate Proceeding on Oct 28th, 2009 :: 8:53:10 to 9:01:00
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8:52:53 to 8:53:13( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: clerk will call the roll. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. a senator: i seek the presiding officer: a qu mr. udall: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the quorum the presiding officer: without objection. mr. udall: and ask unanimous

8:53:10 to 9:01:00( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Tom Udall

8:53:14 to 8:53:34( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: consent to speak for one hour and also ask unanimous consent to engage in a colloquy with other senators who may join me. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. udall: madam president, first, let issue that senator jeanne shaheen spoke about before me just briefly. and i just want to compliment

8:53:35 to 8:53:56( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: her for being such a champion for extending unemployment compensation. you know, we're talking here about people who through in many cases no fault of their own, they lost employment. they may well be the only provider for their family.

8:53:57 to 8:54:20( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: they don't have the wherewithal to support their family. and we have it in this recession, this deep recession we're in the middle of, several times for people like that extended and senator shaheen and senator dodd and others who have spoken

8:54:21 to 8:54:41( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: here have described the personal circumstances that people are in. and we can't believe that we can't move this legislation along to extend unemployment compensation benefits. this help in the recession, because they are the most likely

8:54:42 to 8:55:07( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: dollars that will be spent in this economy. we had 87 senators vote on a motion to proceed. the first thing we do, we file to get on to a piece of legislation, the unemployment benefits compensation legislation. we file a because we don't have consent of

8:55:08 to 8:55:29( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: the leadership in the republican -- the republican leadership here, we a then required to let that motion for cloture ripen over a two-day period. and so as many have watched, there hasn't been nessarily a lot of debate on this, but it's ripened. we had the vote after two days.

8:55:30 to 8:55:50( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: 87 votes. and then after 87 say we should move forward on the motion to proceed, there's a 30-hour postcloture period. well, what's happened here with that is we also haven't had that much debate occurring on the floor, but the time continues to run. and so these delay tactics --

8:55:51 to 8:56:12( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: they're called filibuster tactics, but in a way it really isn't a filibuster. there's nobody down here filibustering most of the time. so, it's a delay tactic to do something that the nation really needs. and so i compliment all of the senators who are standing up. i know senator whitehouse is

8:56:13 to 8:56:33( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: also one who believes that we should pass unemployment compensation legislation very, very quickly. but anyway, we're here again this evening as a group of senators. senator whitehouse has joined me, who strongly support the inclusion of a public option in health care reform legislation.

8:56:34 to 8:56:54( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: and i would encourage other senators to support the public option -- senators that support the public option to come down and join us. we were heartened earlier this week when majority leader harry reid announced he would include a public option in the bill he is merging from the senate financ and health committees. senator reid showed real leadership in developing a compromise that

8:56:55 to 8:57:15( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: public option, something that a wide majority of americans support and want included in this reform. this is another step in the direction of meaningful reform, but we are by no means finished with this debate. we expect defenders of the status quo as well as those who

8:57:16 to 8:57:36( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: continue to put insurance company profits over people to step up their attacks and step up their misinformation campaign. the bottom line is that a public option is the best proposal on the table to help keep the insurance companies honest. it will insert much-need competition into the insurance market, and it will give

8:57:37 to 8:57:58( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: americans another affordable quality choice for their health insurance needs. so with all that said tonight, i want to continue by highlighting a story out of new mexico. it's a letter from a woman i received in placitas, new mexico. she is a small business owner who wrote to tell me about a rate increase notice she got

8:57:59 to 8:58:20( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: from her health insurer. she was told to expect a 9% or 10% increase next year for two people that will mean $2,300 a month in premiums that she will have to pay. here's what she wrote: "we can't afford it. i'm now faced with the likelihood of having to drop

8:58:21 to 8:58:41( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: insurance, which for two cancer survivors is not the right answer. i know i speak for many of my colleagues here tonight when i say our offices get dozens and dozens of e-mails and letters like this each and every week. americans are struggling and they're looking for us -- they're looking to us for relf

8:58:42 to 8:59:02( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: from an impossible situation they cannot fight or win. there was a story in the newspaper over the weekend, and i think illustrates just how urgent this situation has become and illustrates why a public option must be a part of this reform. in the newspaper it was reported that many small businesses are

8:59:03 to 8:59:23( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: facing the steepest rises in insurance premiums that they have seen in years. and that's saying a lot considering that insurance premiums have already more than doubled over the past nine years. in this news story, insurance brokers and benefits consultants said their small business clients are seeing premiums go

8:59:24 to 8:59:44( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: up an average of about 15% for next year. in some places as high as 23%. that's double the rate of last year's increases which were already unacceptably high. and do you know why these small businesses are seeing big increases? this says because insurers are

8:59:45 to 9:00:05( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: trying to raise their premium premiums ahead of anything that we do recommends latively that -- legislatively. health insurance companies are only looking out for thels an their own profits. -- themselves and their own profits. it is up to us to look out for rd-working americans, it is us to up to look out for the

9:00:06 to 9:00:26( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: entrepreneurs, for those small business men and women whose companies employ some 40% of american workers. so, with that, i'd like to open the floor to my colleagues. let's talk about what a public option would mean for small businesses and how difficult it is for american entrepreneurs to keep their head above water as

9:00:27 to 9:00:48( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: health insurance companies continue to raise rates, deny coverage or drop them completely when they place a claim to be reimbursed. i see senator whitehouse is here on the floor. has been a champion throughout this process in public option. and i would yield to senator whitehouse.

9:00:49 to 9:01:01( Edit History Discussion )

Tom Udall: i also see senator durbin here, who i hope will join us, majority whip, who has also been a -- an incredible champion when he stands up in leadership time and throughout the day on the