"We're borrowing 43 cents of every dollar we spend from somebody, somewhere in the world and pretty soon the debt, the obligation, the interest on the debt is going to be bigger than we can financially withstand," said Senator Burr.

Senate Democrats and the President have repeatedly promised "if you like your current plan, you will be able to keep it." Yet, the health care reform bill being debated right now does not uphold this promise or numerous other promises made by this Administration. What happens to the 11 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage when the program, with its many benefits for our seniors, is cut to pay for a new government entitlement? Promises were made to "protect Medicare," but, the Senate voted Thursday to reject a proposal to protect seniors by stripping the package of nearly $500 billion in Medicare cuts used to fund this health care bill. Cutting America's seniors' benefits is not reform. These cuts are only one of many fatal flaws with this health reform bill.

This health care reform bill is not what the American people want. From the moment the negotiations began, behind closed doors and not in front of the C-SPAN cameras as promised, Senate Democrats have ignored the voice of the American people and are not delivering on their promises. I will continue to oppose this bill until we can come together on real solutions that lower health care costs and help every American access quality and affordable health care. I support health reform, but the health bill currently before the Senate is not the solution.

At a time when consumer confidence is at a record low, we ought to be doing everything we can to re-establish faith in our economy. We need to look no farther than the severe unemployment in North Carolina to understand just how hard the current times are. However, the health care reform bill being considered by the Senate will slow economic growth by increasing taxes and health care costs, making America's small businesses less competitive and stifling job creation.

The bill will impose $493 billion in new taxes, fees, and penalties, which will fall on the backs of small business owners. The bill will also impose $28 billion dollars in taxes on employers who do not offer employees health care. The Congressional Budget Office and economists agree that these mandates will increase labor costs, which would be passed along to their workers in the form of lower wages and eliminated jobs. We should be supporting efforts by small businesses to jump start our nation's economic engine, not giving them additional challenges to overcome.

Unemployment is the worst it has been in 26 years, and the proposals within this bill will only make the situation worse. I cannot support a bill that would sabotage job growth for Americans. Small businesses are essential to growing our economy and we owe it to them and every other American to support real solutions that lower health care costs and help every American access quality and affordable health care.

Cutting Medicare is not the way to pay for health care reform, but that is exactly what the current health care reform bill does. Instead of putting a plan in place to put Medicare on better financial footing, this bill slashes almost a half of a trillion dollars from Medicare in order to pay for new government spending. Those cuts include nearly $135 billion from hospitals, almost $15 billion from nursing homes, more than $40 billion from home health agencies, nearly $8 billion from hospices, and $120 billion from Medicare Advantage.

I receive letters and calls from many North Carolinians each day who strongly oppose cuts to Medicare, which is why I support Senator McCain's amendment to remove these cuts from the bill. His amendment would require this bill to go back to the Senate Finance Committee with instructions for them to remove the cuts to Medicare. As I have stated before, I agree we need health reform, but cuts to Medicare that jeopardize patient access to care are not the solution.

I am encouraged that President Obama supports an increase in American troop levels in Afghanistan, in accordance with the requests of our highest-ranking military officials on the ground there. What is even more important than the overall number committed, however, is that they be the right blend of troops with the appropriate training and skills to accomplish our mission so that we can place the future of Afghanistan back into the hands of the Afghan people. On a trip to Afghanistan last month, I had the opportunity to meet with our military commanders, as well as the troops in the field, and heard firsthand their desire to win and come home quickly. The President's decision is a step in the right direction.

Breast cancer remains the second deadliest cancer among women, and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently recommended that women should not receive regular mammograms until they are 50. It is highly concerning to me that this government Task Force inserted itself in decisions that should be made between doctors and their patients. I am even more concerned that the health reform bill currently being debated in the Senate links coverage decisions to the very same Task Force that issued such controversial recommendations just a few weeks ago.

The Reid bill empowers government officials, not doctors, to decide which preventive benefits Americans can or cannot have. The bill would mandate that all private health plans and Medicare must cover preventive benefits as specified by the Task Force's recommendations. Allowing coverage decisions to be put in the hands of unelected bureaucrats should be concerning to all Americans, especially women.