Press Conference following the Senate Republican Conference Retreat with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN); Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ); Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-KY); Senator John Ensign (R-NV); and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX

Statement

Press Conference following the Senate Republican Conference Retreat with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN); Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ); Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-KY); Senator John Ensign (R-NV); and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

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SEN. CORNYN: Well, let me just emphasize one aspect of the outstanding retreat we had today, and that had to do with health care, the goal of making sure that every person in this country is insured.

We've had far narrower debates about reauthorization of SCHIP and those sorts of issues on pretty much of a political basis, but what we haven't heard are comprehensive solutions to the health care crisis, something that people care an awful lot about. And it was exciting to hear from Senator Enzi, who is the ranking Republican on the health committee, Senator Richard Burr, and others who have been at the very front of coming up with principles that hopefully we can coalesce around in a bipartisan way to deal with access and cost of health care.

We know that with high gas prices and with the high cost of health insurance that the middle class in this country is feeling a real squeeze, and that there is significant anxiety in the face of what's happening in this subprime mortgage market -- the housing market and elsewhere. And we intend to come up with practical, real solutions that we can work with our colleagues across the aisle to solve.

If there's one thing I heard when I was back in Texas, it's that people feel like Washington's broken. That's a consistent theme. And they're sick and tired, as you've heard, about the bickering and the divisiveness. They would like to see us get some -- get things done. And I think we can. And I'm hopeful that these early signs, particularly bipartisan cooperation on the economic stimulus package, on the principles that have been laid out, is an example of how we can follow through on other areas to address the problems that most Americans deal with day in and day out, and let them know that their government is working in their best interest because too often I think people feel like Washington is largely irrelevant to their concerns.

And we're here to say we're ready to roll up our sleeves, as you heard, and to work with our colleagues across the aisle to find common ground where we can. We're not talking about taking leave of our basic principles, but we are talking about trying to find common ground to offer those real solutions to show the American people that we hear them and we're responding to their concerns.

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