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How will Blunt Respond to Bob Dole’s Call for Action on Health Care?
For Immediate Release: October 9, 2009 Contact: Ryan Hobart (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125 How will Blunt Respond to Bob Dole’s Call for Action on Health Care? Despite calls for action, Blunt says no Republican health care bill coming Jefferson City, Mo – Recently, former Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole said the GOP runs a major risk by refusing to participate in efforts to reform our health insurance system. At an event in Kansas City, Dole said: “I don’t want the Republicans putting up a ‘no’ sign and saying, ‘we’re not open for business.” (Kansas City Star 10/8/09) Other prominent Republicans like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Senator Bill Frist and Maine Senator Olympia Snowe are all calling for action on health insurance reform. In contrast, despite prior guarantees, Congressman Roy Blunt is now saying the Republican “Health Care Solutions” group, which he leads, is not going to provide any solutions by way of legislative proposals. His excuse? He says people are “tired of bills that nobody reads and nobody understands.” (St. Louis Post Dispatch 10/7/09) “Congressman Blunt’s broken promises about health insurance reform show he is satisfied with the status quo,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “Despite calls for action from prominent Republican leaders, Congressman Blunt is content sitting on the sidelines protecting special interests and criticizing efforts to provide people access to quality health care. This is not the kind of leadership Missourians deserve.” In June, Congressman Blunt guaranteed that he would produce health care legislation. He said: “I guarantee you we will provide you with a bill that costs less and provides better care for the American people.” (Politico 6/17/09) Since then, Congressman Blunt has produced numerous excuses for not introducing a Republican health insurance reform bill. Earlier this summer the Washington Post quoted blunt as saying, “Our bill is never going to get to the floor, so why confuse the focus? We clearly have principles; we could have language, but why start diverting attention from this really bad piece of work they’ve got to whatever we’re offering right now?” Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak thinks Congressman Blunt and his Republican colleagues are running out of excuses: “Congressman Blunt and the rest of the Republican leadership in congress have no real solutions for health insurance reform. It has just taken them months to actually start admitting it.” --30--
