From a release by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)…

It’s obvious the president hasn’t been listening to the American people because he presented nothing new today.  With news reports that democrats are simultaneously trying to pass health care legislation along party lines using procedural tactics, I’m afraid today’s summit was nothing more than a charade to promote the plan under the guise of bipartisanship.  The most recent health care proposal – which will cost taxpayers nearly $1 trillion – still fails to address the real problems of cost, quality and access.  The president simply revised the flawed Senate bill passed last year and increased its price tag by $75 billion.  This is just another mega bill that grows the grip of the government on our health care system and is full of policies the American people have already rejected.

The new bill permits federal funding of abortion, significantly raises fines for employers who don’t offer health insurance, and cuts Medicare by half a trillion dollars to finance a new entitlement program.   This plan is still a government takeover of health care and breaks the president’s campaign promise that taxes would not be raised on middle class families.

It’s time to listen to the American people and go back to the drawing board.  We must create smaller, targeted bills that truly decrease premiums, that do not raise taxes and that allow Americans to keep control of their health care choices.