Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I had the great privilege of observing Senator Dodd as he stepped into the breach for Senator Kennedy and did an extraordinary job--hour after hour after hour--listening to the comments, the suggestions of both sides of the aisle. I think about 400 amendments were filed, and 161, or so, were accepted. In that process, his leadership was extraordinarily effective and critical. So the praise he rightfully accords to others he must share in a major way. We would not be here today if Senator Dodd had not stepped in while simultaneously also doing financial reform and getting us to this moment.

So I say to the Senator, thank you.

I concur, obviously, with his comments about Senator Baucus and express the respect I have for Senator Baucus. As chairman of the Finance Committee, MAX had an extraordinarily important role to play, and he played it with great wisdom and great judgment throughout.

Again, we are here today because of these two gentlemen, and my colleagues in the House.

I, too, commend the President. It would have been easy at any time in this process to fold up the book and say: Well, I have joined the ranks of all my predecessors since Franklin Roosevelt. I have tried and have not succeeded. I think at moments he might have come tantalizingly close to that conclusion. But he pressed on. Ultimately, it was his decision more than anyone else to try to do this that got it done.

As Thucydides said: The bravest of the brave are those who, seeing both the glory and the danger, go forth to seize it. These gentlemen--particularly the President--saw the danger and the glory and refused to retreat and went forward. We have a historic victory today. But our work is not done.

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