May 10, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4675

many of whom will be pushed below the

poverty line.

Mr. Speaker, this budget is cruel, it’s

cynical, and it’s mean.

DESTROYING SANTA ROSA ISLAND

ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

f(Mrs. SEASTRAND asked and was

given permission to address the House

for 1 minute and to revise and extend

her remarks.)

Mrs. SEASTRAND. Mr. Speaker,

today I bring to light another example

of the overreaching arm of the Federal

Government. Santa Rosa Island off

Santa Barbara, CA, happens to be one

of the homes for the snowy plover bird.

The National Park Service has decided

that the snowy plover is so endangered

by cattle ranching on the island that a

3-mile-long fence and road must be

built to protect the bird. The local

ranching company must build the fence

within 7 days or the Government will

do it for them and give them the bill.

Scientific data proves that cattle

ranching on Santa Rosa Island does not

endanger the bird. In fact a strong case

can be made that 93 years of cattle

ranching has actually led to a greater

proliferation of the bird.

b 1115

Unfortunately, the Department of

Fish and Wildlife refused to review this

data.

Mr. Speaker, the Endangered Species

Act was supposed to protect species in

danger of becoming extinct. It was not

meant to be a vehicle to destroy the

well cared for environment of Santa

Rosa Island.

CUTTING WELFARE TO FUND TAX

CUTS IS WRONG

f(Ms. FURSE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, I am here

because my constituents have asked

me to speak out for their interests. I

want to read what they have said.

James Gamwill wrote to me and said,

‘‘I hope you will use your good office to

prevent cuts in Medicare. It aids seniors whose health may not be so robust.

The high cost of health care puts us in

a financial bind.’’

Or Louise Robertson, who wrote from

Aloha, OR. She said, ‘‘I urge you

strongly to fight all attempts to diminish Social Security and Medicare benefits.’’

Well, in their interests, I say shame

on this Republican budget, because it

cuts senior health care protection, it

gives tax cuts to the wealthy, and it increases Pentagon spend spending. This

budget hurts all working families,

American families, and Oregon families. I think it is wrong, and I know

that many Oregonians think it is

wrong too.

A TIME FOR ACTION

(Mr. GUTKNECHT asked and was

given permission to address the House

for 1 minute and to revise and extend

his remarks.)

Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I am

a firm believer that actions have consequences. By the same token, doing

nothing can have consequences as well.

If Congress does nothing about Medicare or the budget, I doubt America

could survive the consequences.

The actions of Congress over the past

generation have resulted in an enormous national debt. Servicing this debt

consumes a large chunk of the over-all

budget. If Congress does nothing about

the disastrous trend of deficit spending, in 10 years we will be unable to

meet other obligations while servicing

the debt.

Likewise, if Congress does nothing to

protect Medicare, it too will become

insolvent in just 7 years. Let me be

clear, this information is coming from

President Clinton’s own people and is

not a Republican gimmick.

Mr. Speaker, the consequences for

doing nothing are too great. We here in

Congress have the ability and the responsibility to do something about

these two problems. The debt poses a

threat to future generations and a collapse of Medicare would hurt older

Americans. Now is not the time for inaction or the arrogant avoidance of responsibility that has permeated Washington.

MEDICARE: THE REAL CONTRACT

WITH AMERICA

f(Mr. FARR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, there is a

lot of talk these days about contracts.

There is the Republican Contract

With America.

There is the contract with America’s

veterans.

There is the contract with Federal

retirees.

And there is the contract with senior

citizens.

So far this year, the spotlight has

been on the Republican Contract With

America. The Republicans are quite

boastful about moving their contract

through the House in 100 days.

But what about the other contracts?

What about the promises made to veterans, Federal retirees, and senior citizens?

I am particularly concerned about

breaking America’s contract with our

senior citizens.

For years we have promised reasonable health care through the Medicare

system. Now the Republicans are willing to sacrifice Medicare—and the seniors who depend on it—in order to pay

for tax cuts for the wealthy.

If the Republicans want to meet the

terms of this country’s contract with

senior citizens, then they should look

elsewhere for their budget and tax fixes

than the pocketbooks of our senior

citizens.

SERVE AND IMPROVE MEDICARE

REPUBLICANS MEAN TO PREf(Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania asked and

was given permission to address the

House for 1 minute and to revise and

extend his remarks.)

Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, the Clinton administration’s Trustees Report on Medicare warns that the

Medicare trust fund starts to go broke

in 1996 and is bankrupt by 2002. House

Republicans are determined to save

Medicare by using new approaches, new

management, and new technologies to

improve it, preserve it, and protect it.

The current Government-controlled

Health Care Financing Administration

system has a lot of waste and fraud.

The General Accounting Office estimates $44 billion a year in Medicare

and Medicaid fraud.

We want to give senior citizens an incentive to fight waste and fraud by

paying them 25 percent of any waste or

fraud they find in their own bills.

House Republicans want to strengthen

and empower senior citizens.

House Republicans will increase Medicare spending from $4,700 per retiree

today to $6,300 per retiree in 2002. That

is a 34-percent increase in Medicare

spending per retiree. There is no proposed cut in Medicare spending.

House Republicans will preserve the

current Medicare system. We will create a series of new choices so senior

citizens can control their own future.

Mr. Speaker, together we can create

a Medicare system that offers the best

care at the lowest cost, with senior

citizens having the greatest control

over their own health care.

PROTECT THE MEDICARE TRUST

fFUND

(Mrs. KENNELLY asked and was

given permission to address the House

for 1 minute and to revise and extend

her remarks.)

Mrs. KENNELLY. Mr. Speaker, 50

years ago we celebrated Victory in Europe. And while it would be another 3

months before Japan surrendered,

World War II would soon be at an end.

Victory did not come easily. Millions

of Americans answered the call of duty,

and many gave their lives. On the

homefront, men and women worked to

keep the country running, and my

home State of Connecticut made invaluable contributions in defense manufacturing.

A generation answered the call of

duty—now our Government must do

the same for them.

If we reform the Medicare system, it

cannot be to pay for tax breaks for the

few. It must be to shore up the trust

fund to benefit seniors.

We can never fully express our gratitude to the World War II generation—