In separate press releases, Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett respond unfavorably to Pres. Obama's speech Wednesday on his plans to move the $2.5 trillion health bill through Congress.

Says Hatch:

The President gave bipartisanship a lot of lip service today demonstrating the peril the White House faces if they jam this $2.5 trillion health care bill through the Senate, against the will of the American people, with this unprecedented use of reconciliation. These cosmetic changes were cynically designed to give a bipartisan veneer to a highly-partisan and deeply-flawed proposal that raises taxes, increases out-of-control spending, provides taxpayer funds for abortion and slashes Medicare for a new, unaffordable entitlement program.

Says Bennett:

It is outrageous to me that after several months of an outcry of opposition from Americans, President Obama has decided to forge ahead and use any tactic available to jam through his health care bill. The Obama administration isn't fooling anyone. The president's ‘new' bill will still raise taxes, increase premiums, and slash Medicare. The president may try to pass the partisan bill with a simple majority, but one thing is clear: there is bipartisan opposition from a vast majority of Americans. I continue to call on the president to scrap the current proposals, start over and focus on step-by-step reforms to lower the cost of health care.