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The President:
As the Winter Olympics draw
to a close this weekend,
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I just want to take a minute to
congratulate all the athletes
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who competed in these games.
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And I especially want to say
how proud I am of all that the
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American men and women have
achieved over the last few weeks.
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Whether it was the men's hockey
team's stunning upset of the
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Canadians on their way
to the gold-medal game,
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or Lindsey Vonn's heroic
gold-medal comeback from a shin
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injury, or Apolo Ohno becoming
the most decorated American
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winter Olympian of all time,
you can't help but be inspired
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by the sheer grit and athletic
prowess on display in Vancouver.
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And it's not just the medal
count that's inspiring --
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though we've certainly
done great on that score.
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What's truly inspiring is the
character of the men and women
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who have won those medals.
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The sacrifices they've made.
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The integrity they've shown.
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The indomitable Olympic spirit
that says no matter who you are
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or where you come from or what
difficulties you may face,
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you can work hard and train hard
and still triumph in the end.
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That's why we watch.
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That's why we cheer.
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That's why in the middle of an
extremely challenging time for
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America, we've been able to come
together as one nation for a few
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weeks in February and swell with
pride at what our citizens have achieved.
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Now, when it comes to meeting
the larger challenges we face as
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a nation, I realize that finding
this unity is easier said than
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done -- especially
in Washington.
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But if we want to compete on the
world stage as well as we've
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competed in the world's games,
we need to find common ground.
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We need to move past the
bickering and the game-playing
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that holds us back and blocks
progress for the American people.
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I know it's possible to do this.
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And we were reminded of that
last week when Democrats and
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Republicans in the Senate came
together to pass a jobs bill
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that will give small businesses
tax credits to hire more workers.
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We also saw it when Democrats
and Republicans in the House
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came together to pass a bill
that would force insurance
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companies to abide by
common-sense rules that prevent
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price-fixing and the other practices
that drive up health care costs.
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We need that same spirit of
cooperation and bipartisanship
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when it comes to finally passing
reform that will bring down the
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cost of health care and give
Americans more control over
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their insurance.
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On Thursday, we brought both
parties together for a frank and
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productive discussion
about this issue.
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In that discussion, we heard
many areas of agreement.
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Both sides agreed that the
rising cost of health care is a
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serious problem that plagues
families, small businesses,
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and our federal budget.
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Many on both sides agreed that
we should give small businesses
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and individuals the ability to
participate in a new insurance
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marketplace -- which members
of Congress would also use --
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that would allow them to pool
their purchasing power and get a
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better deal from
insurance companies.
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And I heard some ideas from
our Republican friends that I
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believe are very worthy
of consideration.
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But still, there
were differences.
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We disagreed over whether
insurance companies should be
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held accountable when they deny
people care or arbitrarily raise premiums.
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I believe they should.
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We disagreed over giving tax
credits to small businesses and
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individuals that would make
health care affordable for those
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who don't have it.
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This would be the largest middle
class tax cut for health care in
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history, and I believe
we should do it.
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And while we agreed that
Americans with pre-existing
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conditions should be
able to get coverage,
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we disagreed on how to do that.
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Some of these disagreements
we may be able to resolve.
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Some we may not.
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And no final bill will include
everything that everyone wants.
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That's what compromise is.
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I said at the end of Thursday's
summit that I'm eager and
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willing to move forward with
members of both parties on
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health care if the other side is
serious about coming together to
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resolve our differences
and get this done.
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But I also believe that we can't
lose the opportunity to meet
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this challenge.
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The tens of millions of men and
women who can't afford their
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health insurance -- they can't wait
another generation for us to act.
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Small businesses can't wait.
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Americans with pre-existing
conditions can't wait.
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State and federal budgets can't
sustain these rising costs.
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It's time for us
to come together.
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It's time for us to act.
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It's time for those of us in
Washington to live up to our
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responsibilities to the
American people and to future generations.
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So let's get this done.
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And thanks for listening.
