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As the positive effects of the Recovery Act continue to multiply in each state, Governors--Republican and Democratic--are showing their appreciation for its success at their meeting wrapping up today in Mississippi and recently:

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin(D) said without the federal stimulus money his state would have had to cut many services..."I don't know what they would have done without it..." [7/18/09]

"In Vermont, a quarter of our population is on Medicaid, so (the federal stimulus) was particularly welcome to shore it up over the next couple of years," Vermont Governor Jim Douglas(R) said. [7/20/09]

In 1961, President Kennedy declared that before the decade was over, an American would land on the moon and return safely. President Kennedy said at the time, "the vows of this nation can only be fulfilled if we first, and therefore, we intend to be first. Our leadership in science and in industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort." Thanks to tens of thousands of scientists, engineers, and others committed to the goal, the Apollo 11 landed on the moon just eight years later on July 20, 1969 -- silencing skeptics and inspiring millions:

"The purpose of the legislation is to lower costs for individuals..."

The CBO report confirms that The America's Affordable Health Choices Act delivers on a critical promise President Obama and the House have made to the American people: health insurance reform legislation will be paid for.

After an historic day yesterday when two out of three committees in the House passed the legislation, Congress has made major progress on health insurance reform that will put patients and doctors back in charge, ensure quality, affordable, and accessible health care for America's middle class and control the spiraling costs of health care through innovative reforms.

As the legislative process moves forward, we will continue to look for ways to squeeze more savings out of the system.

News from the Energy & Commerce, Ways & Means, and Education & Labor Committees on the CBO estimates released last night on America's Affordable Health Choices Act:

July 17, 2009

Washington, D.C. -- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released estimates this evening confirming for the first time that H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act, is deficit neutral over the 10-year budget window - and even produces a $6 billion surplus. CBO estimated more than $550 billion in gross Medicare and Medicaid savings. More importantly, the bill includes a comprehensive array of delivery reforms to set the stage for lowering the future growth in health care costs.