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ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, BOEHNER DISCUSSES GOP HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS, NEED WHITE HOUSE TO ALLOW GENERAL MCCHRYSTAL TO TESTIFY ON AFGHANISTAN GOP LEADER: “THERE ARE COMMON-SENSE REFORMS THAT WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO MAKE OUR CURRENT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WORK BETTER FOR MORE PEOPLE”

September 25, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink During an interview with National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) discussed GOP efforts to work on health care solutions the American people support, such as ensuring Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health care and getting rid of junk lawsuits that drive up the cost of care. Boehner also discussed the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, the importance of denying safe haven to al Qaeda and the Taliban, and the need for the Obama Administration to allow General McChrystal to testify before Congress. A link to the audio of the interview is HERE, and following are excerpts as well: BOEHNER ON REPUBLICANS’ BETTER HEALTH CARE SOLUTIONS: “Well, I think Americans have spoken. They want reforms that lower costs, expand access and improve quality. None of the Democrat bills that we’ve seen thus far do that. You know, they claim that their bill will lower costs by spending a trillion dollars more and Americans really aren’t buying it. “And so there are a number of things that Republicans believe are essential. We believe that making sure that people with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable health insurance. We believe that if you lose your job, you shouldn’t have to be worried about losing your health insurance—and you should be able to take your health insurance from job to job. Republicans believe that we ought to get rid of junk lawsuits and get doctors back to practicing real medicine instead of all the defensive medicine that they practice today. Estimates are that we would save over a $100 billion a year just in that area. And so there are common sense reforms that we can put in place to make our current health care system work better for more people.” (AUDIO) BOEHNER ON DEMOCRATS’ REFUSAL TO WORK ON HEALTH CARE IN A BIPARTISAN WAY: “There’s no debate here in Washington on the need to fix our current health care system. The American people know that it costs too much and they also know that there is not equal access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. And so, as we move ahead, I think there is common ground – we can do it – but let’s be honest, the President hasn’t had the Republican leadership down to the White House since late April or early May. I sent the President a letter back in May outlining some of the things we’d like to do in health care and asking for a meeting. I got a nice polite letter back that said basically, thank you, but we’ll see you at the end of the process.” (AUDIO) BOEHNER ON WHY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION MUST ALLOW GENERAL MCCHRYSTAL TO TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS ON AFGHANISTAN: “In March, the President laid out a clear strategy to prevent al Qaeda and the Taliban from re-establishing safe havens in Afghanistan to in order to plan and execute attacks on Americans. Now the President’s is re-considering that strategy, and I have real concerns about that. We sent General McChrystal to Afghanistan to implement this new strategy. If General McChrystal believes that without timely reinforcements our efforts may end in failure, then we must act quickly to give him the resources he needs to achieve our goals. The Administration must allow General McChrystal to testify before Congress on his strategy for achieving our goals.” (AUDIO) BOEHNER ON WHY A TIMELY DECISION ON ADDITIONAL TROOPS IS CRITICAL: “My concern is that the longer we wait, the more jeopardy exists for the troops that we have there. Even if there is a decision to send more troops, it’s going to take a substantial amount of time for those troops to be trained and deploy into that theater. We have to remember that in Afghanistan we typically have to deal with the spring offensive. And I just believe that we need to make sure that we have the reinforcements there so that the troops that we have there are not in greater danger as a result of not having enough troops to protect each other.” (AUDIO)

REPUBLICAN LEADER PRESS OFFICE REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH) H-204, THE CAPITOL (202) 225-4000 | GOPLEADER.GOV

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