MONROE - Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said the past few months in Congress have been like the opening line of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities."
"It was the best of times and the worst of times," she said with a laugh during her visit Friday with about 20 people at the Behring Senior Center of Monroe.
Among the debates in Washington has been whether to investigate decisions made by the Bush administration regarding torture and wiretapping. Baldwin said Friday there should be an investigation.
"I think there needs to be a mechanism to unearth everything," she said, "whether it's a special prosecutor or a Congressional committee."
Baldwin said she isn't sure, though, what Congress will decide.
"If nothing is done it will set a precedent for others," she said.
In addition to dealing with the struggling national economy, Congress has been working on one of Baldwin's pet issues - health care reform.
She said health care reform can be passed in this session, but it won't be with Republican support.
There are Republican "rank and file" who are unhappy with the fact their leaders tell them to vote against plans they support, but said that so far they've gone along with what they've been told, Baldwin said.
"I hope that changes," she said. "With 60 votes in the Senate, we can pass things, but I think it's sad that we don't have (Republican) support.
"Medicare was passed (in the 1960s) without a single Republican vote."
Lowering health care costs and providing greater access goes "hand in hand with getting our economy on the right track," Baldwin said.
One of the ways to keep health care costs down is to control the cost of prescription pills, she added. The federal government isn't allowed to negotiate with drug companies to keep the cost of prescription drugs low for senior citizens. That should change, she said. The Veterans' Administration is allowed to negotiate with drug companies and that helps reduce medical costs for veterans.
"We know we can get a bargain if we use our power to buy (drugs) in bulk," she said.
Any reform in health care will be controversial, she acknowledged, but she said it's a necessity. Baldwin hopes to see reform plans in the next few months.
Baldwin also talked about the federal economic stimulus bill, passed earlier this year by Congress.
"It's about jobs, jobs, jobs," she said. "It's about jobs that help lay the foundation for the future with investments in infrastructure and energy."
There are "glimmers of hope" in the economy, Baldwin said.
It's up to the government to take steps to see that the problems that caused problems with the economy don't happen again, she added.
"We're seeing indications that we're on the right track," she said.
"It was the best of times and the worst of times," she said with a laugh during her visit Friday with about 20 people at the Behring Senior Center of Monroe.
Among the debates in Washington has been whether to investigate decisions made by the Bush administration regarding torture and wiretapping. Baldwin said Friday there should be an investigation.
"I think there needs to be a mechanism to unearth everything," she said, "whether it's a special prosecutor or a Congressional committee."
Baldwin said she isn't sure, though, what Congress will decide.
"If nothing is done it will set a precedent for others," she said.
In addition to dealing with the struggling national economy, Congress has been working on one of Baldwin's pet issues - health care reform.
She said health care reform can be passed in this session, but it won't be with Republican support.
There are Republican "rank and file" who are unhappy with the fact their leaders tell them to vote against plans they support, but said that so far they've gone along with what they've been told, Baldwin said.
"I hope that changes," she said. "With 60 votes in the Senate, we can pass things, but I think it's sad that we don't have (Republican) support.
"Medicare was passed (in the 1960s) without a single Republican vote."
Lowering health care costs and providing greater access goes "hand in hand with getting our economy on the right track," Baldwin said.
One of the ways to keep health care costs down is to control the cost of prescription pills, she added. The federal government isn't allowed to negotiate with drug companies to keep the cost of prescription drugs low for senior citizens. That should change, she said. The Veterans' Administration is allowed to negotiate with drug companies and that helps reduce medical costs for veterans.
"We know we can get a bargain if we use our power to buy (drugs) in bulk," she said.
Any reform in health care will be controversial, she acknowledged, but she said it's a necessity. Baldwin hopes to see reform plans in the next few months.
Baldwin also talked about the federal economic stimulus bill, passed earlier this year by Congress.
"It's about jobs, jobs, jobs," she said. "It's about jobs that help lay the foundation for the future with investments in infrastructure and energy."
There are "glimmers of hope" in the economy, Baldwin said.
It's up to the government to take steps to see that the problems that caused problems with the economy don't happen again, she added.
"We're seeing indications that we're on the right track," she said.