March 30, 2010
Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA – where Dr Jill Biden teaches. Guess they didn’t want to risk a VP Biden 2.0 moment.
POTUS signs “fixes” healthcare and student loan bill portion.
Snippet of remarks on healthcare.
–
Signing of the bill. Counted 17 pens.
TRANSCRIPT OF HC REMARKS FOLLOW
[Emphasis added]
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Alexandria! Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) Please, have a seat.
Thank you, Dr. Biden, for that outstanding introduction and for putting up with Joe. (Laughter.) I want to also thank Dr. Biden for being one of the thousands of instructors all across the country who make such a difference in the lives of students each and every day. So we are very proud of you for that. (Applause.)
I want to thank President Templin and the entire NOVA Community College family for hosting us here today — you can applaud for that. (Applause.)
On stage we’ve got a couple of my outstanding Cabinet members: Secretary Sebelius and Secretary Arne Duncan — please give them a big round of applause. (Applause.) In the audience we’ve got Secretary Salazar of Interior; Secretary Donovan of HUD; and Ambassador Ron Kirk, our U.S. Trade Representative — please give them a big round of applause. (Applause.)
To all the outstanding members of Congress who made this day possible — and I’m going to mainly single out the amazing Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.)
[begin video snippet]
Today, we mark an important milestone on the road to health insurance reform and higher education reform. But, more broadly, this day affirms our ability to overcome the challenges of our politics and meet the challenges of our time.
When I took office, one of the questions we needed to answer was whether it was still possible to make government responsive to the needs of everyday people, middle-class Americans, the backbone of this country; or whether the special interests and their lobbyists would continue to hold sway, like they’ve done so many times before. And that’s a test we met one week ago, when health insurance reform became the law of the land in the United States of America. (Applause.)
And it’s a test we met later in the week when Congress passed higher education reforms that will have a tremendous impact on working families — and America’s future. That’s two major victories in one week that will improve the lives of our people for generations to come. (Applause.)
[Does this sound like the glorious legislation he made it sound last week?]
Now, I’ve said before and I’ve repeated this week the health insurance reform bill I signed won’t fix every problem in our health care system in one fell swoop. But it does represent some of the toughest insurance reforms in history.
It represents a major step forward towards giving Americans with insurance -– and those without -– a sense of security when it comes to their health care.
It enshrines the principle that when you get sick, you’ve got a society there, a community, that is going to help you get back on your feet.
It represents meaningful progress for the American people.
[end video snippet]
And today, I’m signing a bill that will make a number of improvements to these core reforms. We’ll increase the size of tax credits to help middle-class families and small businesses pay for their health insurance. (Applause.)
[While Medicare spending is scaled back?]
We’re going to offer $250 to seniors who fall in the Medicare coverage gap known as the doughnut hole to help them pay for prescriptions, and that’s a first step towards closing that gap completely.
We’ll make a significant new investment in community health centers all across America that can provide high-quality primary care to people who need it most. And we’ll strengthen efforts to combat waste and fraud and abuse, to make sure your dollars aren’t lining the pockets of insurance companies when they should be making your health care better.
Now, the debate on health care reform is one that’s gone on for generations, and I’m glad — I’m gratified that we were able to get it done last week. But what’s gotten overlooked amid all the hoopla, all the drama of last week, is what happened in education — when a great battle pitting the interests of the banks and financial institutions against the interests of students finally came to an end. (Applause.)
Then he went on about student loans.
