Gitmo Senate Floor Speech

Senator Roberts took to the Senate floor and expressed his strong opposition to the transfer of terrorists at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo), Cuba. In his floor speech, Senator Roberts said, "There is still time for Americans to remember that there are men at Guantanamo who cannot be released and most certainly should not be on American soil. In fact, Americans must remember that there are men at Gitmo who planned the September 11^th attacks. There are men at Gitmo who perpetrate horrible crimes against humanity. These terrorist detainees should be held, as they are now, at Gitmo, in compliance with international law. Red Cross inspected, Guantanamo is a first rate facility that safely keeps these men out of civilized society, affords them humane treatment and gives them religious respect.

"Fort Leavenworth, Kansas has been mentioned many times as a possible location for the 100 or so terrorists that Defense Secretary Gates says can’t be released but can’t be tried. Leavenworth is where we educate all future Army officers and where we host foreign military officers every year to build relationships and foster military cooperation. Leavenworth is the Intellectual Center of the Army. Army officers will not want to study among terrorists or send their kids to school on base, minutes away from the most dangerous men in the world. Not in Kansas. Not on my watch."

As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Roberts recently participated in a Finance Committee hearing on Cap and Trade, expressing that Kansas has a lot to lose under cap-and-tax schemes and not much to gain.

Senator Roberts said, "Hundreds of small and rural communities across Kansas have energy intensive industries that keep their local economies afloat. Every cap-and-trade proposal that I have seen, is at its core a way to tax energy consumption. It is a way to bring more revenue to the federal government. I have concerns that while cap and trade may create new green jobs, is it merely shifting those existing jobs within the energy sector and forcing these small businesses out of business. Also under these proposals, Kansas farmers, whom each feed 145 people across the world, will experience an exponential increase of input costs. Add the increased energy costs for transportation, refrigeration and storage, and ultimately every American consumer purchasing food and fiber will see a price increase."

As the health care reform debate begins, Senator Roberts recently delivered remarks to the National Community Pharmacists Association’s Annual Meeting in Washington. Senator Roberts is a member of both the Senate Health and Finance Committees, which will have jurisdiction over health care reform.

Stating that patients will not benefit from a "one-size-fits-all" health care plan, Senator Roberts told the group of pharmacists, "Local pharmacies are a critical ingredient in the health delivery system in communities across the country. However, your existence is often dependent upon Medicare and Medicaid policies, and I know these issues are a top concern for your industry. I support extending meaningful access to quality health care to all Americans. I don’t support achieving this on the backs of health care providers like you or expanding access to health insurance at the expense of access to health care. I am committed to protecting the patient-provider relationship from faceless Washington bureaucrats who would curtail needed care in the name of cost containment. As with all one-size-fits-all policies coming out of Washington, I fear that such a government monopoly over the health care sector will have grave consequences for patients and providers, particularly in rural America. "

In order to help military families, Senators Roberts and Baucus (D-MT) recently called for investment in the ThanksUSA Scholarship Program to provide more education opportunities to spouses and children of active duty military personnel. A former Marine, Senator Roberts, urged the Appropriations Subcommittee to allot at least $5 million to the ThanksUSA Scholarship program, which is a private charity that offers scholarships to the spouses and kids of active duty military personnel, giving priority to the spouses and children of service members killed or injured in combat. The funding would provide need-based scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 for children and spouses of active duty military personnel in all branches of service, including Guard and Reserve.

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