U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre, released the following statement regarding the upcoming health care vote:

“Health care reform is needed, but the bill before us is too expensive, does not adequately address rising medical costs and skyrocketing insurance premiums, and tries to do too much too soon. We simply cannot afford to create a new federal bureaucracy that costs nearly $1 trillion when our national debt is $12 trillion and there is no plan in place to address it. I will not vote for it.

“The critical issue facing our nation is jobs. Citizens, families, and communities all across our region, state, and nation are facing challenging economic times, and we need to do all we can to help get our economy moving again. Jobs and economic development are the most important issue we face as a nation. We must work together to create new jobs, help small businesses expand so they can hire, assist with job training, invest in the next generation of employment opportunities, and provide economic security for our citizens.

“After we help jump start our economy, we should again turn our attention to health care reform – but with a clean slate. We can and should work together to pass targeted health care reform measures that can bring down costs, provide for increased coverage, and not further sink our nation into an endless sea of red ink.”