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As the 109th Congress begins, there has
been much discussion about what we should focus on
and what can be accomplished given the increasingly
partisan atmosphere in Washington, D.C. Despite the
apparent divisions in Congress and the electorate, I
am optimistic that I will be able to work
effectively with my colleagues in the Senate to find
solutions that make sense for Maine and the nation
as a whole.
One of my highest priorities this Congress – and
one I hope all of my colleagues share – is
maintaining our military strength at home and
prevailing in Iraq and Afghanistan. We must do
everything in our power to support our troops and
the military in general during this time when we are
asking so much of them, even under mounting pressure
to curb the federal budget deficit.
In particular, I am vehemently opposed to any
cuts to the Navy’s shipbuilding budget, most
especially as our nation continues to fight a
multi-front, global War on Terror. For instance,
were the Navy to reduce the number of destroyers
built over the next six years, it would seriously
undermine their ability to accomplish the Navy’s
primary mission of global power projection, leaving
our national security at risk.
With insurgents in Iraq fighting to derail the
upcoming elections and the transition to democracy,
it imperative that we provide out troops the
necessary resources for them to be successful.
Reports last month of limited armored Humvees in
combat in Iraq and Afghanistan prompted me to send
letters to President Bush and Defense Secretary
Rumsfeld outlining my concerns and urging them to
include funding in the next supplemental budget to
use a Loring, Maine facility to up-armor Humvees
used in combat operations. I will continue to do all
I can to ensure our troops have the equipment they
need to complete their mission and keep them as safe
as possible.
At home, one of our most pressing problems is the
escalating cost of health care, which now accounts
for almost 15 percent of GNP. I will push this year
for several commonsense solutions to this problem
that will go a long way toward addressing the
ongoing health care crisis facing our nation.
The American people are demanding relief from the
skyrocketing price of prescription drugs, and safe,
effective drug importation is a means of achieving
that goal. As Mainers who have made a bus trip to
Canada to purchase their medications already know,
prescription drugs in other industrialized countries
are 35-55% less expensive than in the United States.
Last year, I introduced, with a bipartisan group of
senators, The Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug
Safety Act (S.2328), which would assure safe and
ready access to imported prescription drugs. I will
reintroduce this bill early this year and work to
ensure its passage.
I also will reintroduce the Medicare Enhancement
for Needed Drugs (MEND) Act as soon as possible this
year. The MEND Act addresses high drug costs by
granting the Secretary of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) the authority to
negotiate lower prices for drug purchases through
Medicare, creating incentives for Medicare plans to
negotiate drug prices, and giving Congress and
seniors ongoing information about the prices of
prescription drugs across multiple markets. Taken
together, enacting the MEND Act and allowing
prescription drug importation will significantly
ease the burden of prescription drug costs.
The number of our nation’s employed but uninsured
continues to grow, with an estimated 43 million
Americans now uninsured. Many of the uninsured are
self-employed or employed by small businesses.
Allowing Association Health Plans (AHPs) would
enable small businesses to pool together on a
national basis through trade associations, and
either purchase their health insurance from a
provider, or self insure in the same way that large
employers and unions currently do. By banding
together, small businesses would come to the table
with more bargaining power and better choices for
providing insurance to their employees. In Maine,
where more than 97 percent of businesses are small
business - with more than 90 percent employing fewer
than 20 people - AHPs could make a real difference
in the lives of small business owners and their
employees. As Chair of the Senate Small Business
Committee, I will strive to advance sensible AHP
legislation in the 109th Congress.
I go into the 109th Congress with a
desire to work with my Senate colleagues and a
commitment to making America’s and Maine’s
priorities my priorities. I sincerely hope we can
move beyond the popular perception that Washington
and the nation as a whole are deeply divided and
deliver to the American people the commonsense
solutions they demand.
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