WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor Thursday regarding health care reform:

“As Democrat leaders in Congress continue to insist that we’re at some make or break moment in the health care debate, and that for some reason we need to pass a bill that raises taxes, raises premiums, and cuts Medicare, I’d like to call attention to a notice we received yesterday from the Congressional Budget Office informing us that they plan to issue a cost estimate today for the Senate-passed health care bill.

“In other words, sometime today the Congressional Budget Office will release its final cost estimate of the health spending bill that Democrats passed on Christmas Eve.

“So Democrats voted on this enormous bill — a bill affecting the cost and quality of health care for every single man woman and child in America — without knowing the full cost to the taxpayers.

“Excuse me for noting the obvious. But this is no way to legislate on an issue of this importance. Month after month, we were told it was urgent to pass that bill — so urgent, apparently, that Democrats in Congress couldn’t even wait to find out the effect their bill would have on the cost to the American people?

“And now we’re being told the same thing. Democrat leaders are telling their members they have to vote on this latest version of the same bill by Easter. When are we going to find out how much that one costs — Columbus Day?

“Americans aren’t in any rush to pass this or any other 2,700 page bill that poses as a reform but which raises the costs of health care.

“And members of Congress shouldn’t be deceived by these theatrical attempts to create a sense of urgency about this legislation.

“The least that lawmakers can do is find out how much these bills will cost the taxpayers before they schedule a vote.

“They can’t have it both ways.

“They can’t say they’re concerned about how much these bills cost, and not even ask to see the price tag.

“The fact is, anybody who even considers voting for these health spending bills doesn’t have lower costs as a priority — because we know that these bills are going to drive costs up, not down.”

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