Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Democratic alternative budget we are discussing today, which addresses the many issues working families are dealing with, but there is one provision in particular that I want to highlight on long-term care.

As the ranking member and too many Americans know, long-term care is a concern that nearly every American family is confronting or will confront in the coming years. We have made great strides to improve our health care system in the last few years, but what we have a strong need for is a comprehensive, long-term plan for how seniors can get the day-to-day help they need for the basic tasks of living, like meal preparation, eating, bathing, and getting dressed in the morning.

Too many seniors today are relying on a complex, disconnected system full of barriers that doesn't work. It is a system designed for the 20th century, while we are living in the 21st century. Addressing it will save money and can improve the quality of life for many.

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So, to address this problem, the Democratic budget contains revenue-neutral language that would allow the House to consider legislation today to begin to resolve the long-term care crisis in our country. It is an important priority, and it is important that it has been included in our alternative budget.

My hope is that we can all work together on this soon in a bipartisan way. Not dealing with it is not going to make it go away, I thank the ranking member for working with us.

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