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The Players


The PlayersREP. JOHN BOEHNER, R-OHIO
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER

Date of  Birth: Nov. 17, 1949.

Education: B.A., Xavier University.

Career Path: Boehner was one of 12 children and worked in business before entering politics. He served in the Ohio state legislature from 1984 to 1990 and was then elected to the U.S. House.

Role in Health Care Reform, 1993-1994: Boehner was chairman of the House Republican Conference and opposed President Clinton’s legislation.

Why He’s a Player Now: As the Republican leader in the House, Boehner is likely to lead the opposition to the Democratic plan. He has already criticized the Obama administration for not answering “the fundamental question” of how to pay for health care reform.

Quote: “As we proceed down this path, we have to be very careful that we don’t do anything that will impede the kind of quality and innovation that we have in our current system and that we believe that our plan is a big improvement on the current system that will cost far less than what the administration is proposing.

If you look at their plan, it really is a big-government-run plan that will take control of the delivery of health care in America. I don’t think that’s what most Americans want.

This is a serious proposal. We’re hopeful that President Obama and our Democrat colleagues will take our ideas seriously and use them as they begin to develop their program.

But everything that we’ve seen thus far — whether it was the stimulus bill, whether it was the omnibus appropriation bill — they’ve ignored our better solutions. But we’re going to continue to offer better solutions, as I promised on the opening day when I gave the gavel to Nancy Pelosi.” (June 17, 2009, news conference announcing House GOP health proposal)

Read about the other ‘Players‘.