May 11, 1995 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE H 4799

Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO ́ . Mr. Speaker, the Republicans have finally unveiled their budget proposal. And as expected, the news is not good for our

senior citizens.

House Republicans returned from

their party conference last week united

by a plan to cut Medicare in order to

pay for their $345 billion tax cut for the

wealthiest Americans. Under this proposal, 37 million seniors will lose $900 a

year while a very lucky 1.1 million taxpayers—those making more than

$230,000 a year—will enjoy a $20,000

bonus.

When President Clinton came to office, the Medicare Trust Fund was due

to run out of funds in 1999. Through

tough actions that this administration

passed, and every Republican opposed,

the trust fund was strengthened for an

additional 3 years. The President then

proposed a highly detailed health care

reform proposal that would have significantly strengthened the Medicare

Trust Fund, and again was opposed by

most Republicans.

Since last year’s election, the President has made clear that he still wants

to work on Medicare cost issues with

the Republicans, but that it has to be

in the context of real health care reform that protects the integrity of the

program, expands coverage, and protects choice as well as quality and affordability. No responsible person

should stand by and allow Medicare to

be used as a cover to pay for tax cuts

for the wealthy and, in doing so, break

our historic contract with the senior

citizens.

REPUBLICANS SUBMIT AN HONEST

BALANCED BUDGET PROPOSAL

f(Mr. LINDER asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, my

daughter is grown and she and her husband have a 11⁄2-year-old son and another child on the way. The last time

an official House committee submitted

a bill to balance the budget, she was 2.

Today, House Republicans present

the first honest attempt to balance the

budget. We do so not for politics, but

for our children, my daughter and son,

and my grandchildren. We do so because my family, your family and families across the country cannot achieve

the American dream if we do nothing.

If we do nothing, we will pay more

interest on the debt than we spend for

defense. Moreover, my grandchildren

will pay more than $185,000 in their

lifetimes just to pay interest on the

debt.

We will not stand by and watch any

child in this country be subject to that

type of cruelty. Yet the Democrat

Party, which needlessly frightened

children of the impending doom of

school lunches is utterly unmoved by

the threat to the dreams and future of

those same kids.

b 1015

TRADE DEFICIT WITH JAPAN

(Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was

given permission to address the House

for 1 minute and to revise and extend

his remarks.)

Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, the

battle for a balanced budget is not taking place in the Halls of Congress. The

battle for a balanced budget is raging

in the Pacific over the protectionist

trade policies of Japan. You know that,

I know that, and the American worker,

they absolutely know it. Watch them

at election time.

I commend President Clinton for his

efforts. The President’s fight is absolutely right. I just hope at the last

minute they do not make another compromise washed-down deal.

Let me say this: The hammer is in

the hands of Congress. I recommend

imposing a 15-percent across-the-broad

tariff on Japanese products, all products until they open their market.

Think about it. That worked for Washington. That worked for Lincoln. And

that worked for Japan.

There is nothing wrong with winning

and losing is contagious. Let us join

the President’s fight. Let us take action against Japan. They are not going

to open their doors on a voluntary request.

WHERE’S THE DEMOCRATS’ PLAN

(Mr. CHABOT asked and was given

fpermission to address the House for 1

minute.)

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Republicans produced a historic

plan to bring us to a balanced budget

by the year 2002. The liberal Democrats

here in Congress have already jumped

on the whining, moaning, and groaning

bandwagon to denounce our plan in

every way they can.

But let me just ask my colleagues on

the other side of the aisle one question,

Where’s your bill? Where’s your plan to

balance the budget?

The fact is that you don’t have a

plan. You haven’t submitted anything

in writing to balance the budget. Instead, you are content to sit there

maintaining the status quo while our

children’s future goes down the drain.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans care about

the future of our country. Republicans

will pass a balanced budget. We will

keep our promise to the American people.

KEEPING THE MEDICARE PROMISE

(Mr. FAZIO of California asked and

fwas given permission to address the

House for 1 minute and to revise and

extend his remarks.)

Mr. FAZIO of California. Mr. Speaker, after waging a war against our Nation’s children by slashing school lunch

and child nutrition programs, the Republicans have turned their sights on

America’s senior citizens.

Yesterday, they released the details

of a Republican budget that finances

tax breaks for wealthy Americans by

gutting Medicare.

The Republicans intend to write

their wealthy friends a check for $305

billion. And to finance this giveaway,

they plan to force seniors to cough up

an extra $900 a year.

By targeting those with the most yet

to give, our children, and those who

have made the greatest sacrifice—our

seniors—the Republicans are undermining a fundamental, moral obligation.

This debate is not about deficit reduction. It is about sacrifice. The generation of Americans who now receive

Medicare benefits sacrificed to bring

this Nation great prosperity.

A senior from my district—from

Vacaville, CA—wrote to tell me that

these programs are: ‘‘promises made to

people who earned these benefits.’’

Promises? Where have I heard that

word before? ‘‘Promises made, promises

kept.’’

Obviously, this is one promise the

Republicans do not intend to keep.

THE WRONG WAY TO GO WITH

SOCIAL SECURITY

f(Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts asked

and was given permission to address

the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr.

Speaker, the Republicans are solving

something that has bothered all the

people, but I do not think they are

doing it the right way. Older people

have complained to me; I am not talking about the wealthy older people who

will be the beneficiaries of the Republican tax cuts but the average older

person for whom Social Security is a

major part of their income. And they

have complained that, as the Social Security cost of living has gone up, Medicare has come and taken it away. And

they have been virtually equal in many

cases.

Well, no longer under the Republican

budget plan will the cost-of-living increase that older people get be equal to

the increase they have to pay in Medicare. But the Republicans are solving

this in the wrong way.

Older people are going to have to pay

more for their Medicare, and under the

Republican plan they will get less for

their Social Security. So every year

older people will see under the plan an

erosion in their incomes because the

Republicans will reduce the cost of living.

They want to cut taxes for wealthy

older people who will be making

$150,000 or $200,000 a year, but they will

cut the cost of living for an older person living on $9,000 or $10,000. That is

the wrong way to go.

REPUBLICANS PROMISES ARE

fBROKEN

(Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1