The office of Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., issued the following statement:

Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) made the following statement: "The last time the President made grand promises and demanded passage of a bill before it could be reviewed, we ended up with the colossal stimulus failure and unemployment near 10 percent," said Senator DeMint. "Now the President wants Americans to trust him again, but he can't back up the utopian promises he's making about a government takeover of health care. He insists his health care plan won't add to our nation's deficit despite the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office saying exactly the opposite.

And today we learn that the President is refusing to release a critical report on the state of our economy, which contains facts essential to this debate. What is he hiding? "If the actual legislation came close to matching the President's rhetoric, he would have no problem passing this bill with huge Democrat majorities in both chambers. But Americans aren't being fooled and are discovering the truth about his plan which includes rationed care, trillions in new costs, high taxes and penalties that will destroy jobs, and even government-funded abortions. "Let's be clear, there is no one in this debate advocating that we do nothing despite the President's constant straw man arguments. Republicans have offered comprehensive health care reform solutions that cover millions of the uninsured without exploding costs, raising taxes, or rationing care. We can give every American access to a health plan they can own, afford and keep without a government takeover." Senator DeMint has authored the Health Care Freedom Plan that gives patients more control instead of government and reduces the uninsured by over 22 million without any new cost to taxpayers.For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com