WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the Medicare vote:

“I return to the Senate today to keep a promise to our senior citizens – and that’s to protect Medicare. Win, lose or draw, I wanted to be here. I wasn’t going to take the chance that my vote could make the difference.

Medicare should not be a partisan issue. Illness and age know no party boundaries. The 44 million Americans who rely on Medicare to meet their health care needs are both Democrats and Republicans. Like all Americans, they have worked hard all their lives. They’ve raised their families. They’ve built our towns and cities and farmed the land. They’ve served in our military.

We owe them so much for the part they have played in making America a great country. So today I proudly cast this important vote for them – a vote to keep the Medicare program strong and effective for the future.”