As the U.S. Senate approved the health care reform billon Thursday, Senators from both sides of the aisle offered their perspectives to CNBC.
Hutchison: Bill Is Disastrous
"We showed the American people what was in this disastrous bill. The cuts in Medicare, the taxes that are going to come in on small businesses especially, as well as families in this hard economic time, I think that it is a terrible bill. I hope it can change in the conference committee. Hope is always there until this is finally done, and it is not finally done.
- Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
Cantwell On Containing Costs
"This is about new tools for cost containment. We know that health care premiums were going to rise 10 percent a year. We know that's unsustainable. This is about giving states and others the ability to reform the system so that we can help control the cost."
- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington
Gregg: They'll Tax & They'll Tax
"This takes the government and explodes it. It puts it at a level that we're never going to be able to afford... We're headed on a road to fiscal insolvency as a nation and this is going to aggravate that situation dramatically. And I don't think this is going to help healthcare. I genuinely believe healthcare will be undermined."
- Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.
Corker: Senate Not Broken
"This was a political victory. I think a lot of people have questions on the other side of the aisle about the content of this bill that just passed. But the fact is that doesn't mean that we don't have other things that we have common ground on. And I really do not think the Senate is broken. I think you're going to see some responsible action taken on financial reform."
- Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.