H 4800 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 11, 1995

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, the Republican budget cuts $24 billion from

Social Security. Seniors who have

worked hard their whole lives will lose

hundreds of dollars in Social Security

benefits. Social Security is a contract

that we’ve made with our Nation’s seniors. The Republican budget tears that

contract into pieces.

The Republican budget cuts $283 billion from Medicare. The Republican

budget will eliminate Medicare as we

know it by herding seniors into HMO’s

and by charging them $3,500 more for

their health care. Seniors who depend

on Medicare will be out of luck.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican budget

breaks faith with the millions of American seniors who depend on Medicare

and Social Security to make ends

meet.

Day after day we have heard how the

Republicans have kept their promises

to the American people. One after another the Republicans told us that

promises made are promises kept.

Well Mr. Speaker, today we learn

that Republican promises made are

promises broken.

Speaker GINGRICH and the Republican

majority promised that they would not

cut Social Security benefits. They

promised not to devastate Medicare.

But what is the truth? What does

their new budget say?

This is how the Republicans keep their

promises: By cutting Medicare. By cutting Social Security. The American people deserve

better.

BROKEN PROMISES

f(Ms. DELAURO asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. DELAURO. Mr. Speaker, Republicans love to get up here everyday and

talk about promises made and promises

kept, but it seems that my GOP colleagues have forgotten our sacred

promise to take care of America’s senior citizens. In fact, under the GOP

budget proposal, released yesterday,

seniors take a double hit.

First, Republicans cut health care for

seniors. The GOP budget reduces Medicare spending by $283 billion over 7

years—a 25-percent reduction in the

year 2002. Then, to make matters

worse, Republicans turn around and reduce Social Security benefits for seniors by $24 billion between 1999 and

2002.

Now, Speaker GINGRICH calls these

cuts painless. But, they are not painless to the millions of seniors who rely

on Medicare and Social Security to

help pay the bills and make ends meet.

Republicans promised to protect

Medicare. Republicans promised that

Social Security would be off the table

during this budget debate. Promises

made, promises broken.

REPUBLICAN BUDGET AND

NATION’S CHILDREN

(Mr. POMEROY asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. POMEROY. Mr. Speaker, we had

a long day in the House Committee on

the Budget yesterday. I am here to tell

Members about one aspect of the Republican plan to balance the budget

that they do not want to talk much

about. That is about the deep cuts in

Medicare, $184 billion over the next 7

years. And the impact of these would

take health insurance away from 5 million kids that now have it. It is taking

a health care problem in this country

and making it much worse by depriving

5 million kids of health insurance coverage.

The plan does not stop there, because

it also assaults the elderly that depend

upon Medicaid to help them defray the

cost of nursing home expenses when

they have exhausted their personal accounts. What will happen to some in a

nursing home that has exhausted their

life savings? Will they be put out on

the street when the Republican Medicaid cuts begin to hit and there are no

more funds available? Will they be

forced to move in with their children

who are already struggling to make it

and provide for the college education of

their children?

These are questions that need to be

answered as we flesh out the Republican budget. Disaster for kids; disaster

for seniors.

(Mr. WISE asked and was given perSHRINKING THE BUDGET

fmission to address the House for 1

minute.)

Mr. WISE. Mr. Speaker, if they are

making a movie this summer of the Republican budget, I think it can be titled ‘‘Honey, I Shrunk the Budget and

I Blew Up the Economy.’’ I blew it up

by gutting Medicare, cutting it up to 25

percent. And who will pay for that?

Senior citizens, by not getting care;

businesses and young people, by having

to pay more insurance premiums; hospitals that have to close because they

cannot absorb these kinds of losses.

Blew up the economy by cutting programs that bring growth. Student

loans cut by $33 billion. Student loans

that affect almost every person in this

country. The Economic Development

Administration, the linchpin for so

much industrial develop, the Appalachian Regional Commission terminated.

These grow the economy; the Republican budget shrinks it. Balancing the

budget, Mr. Speaker, is important for a

strong economy. But not with this

budget and not one that bankrupts the

economy.

(Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts asked

KEEP PRESSURE ON JAPAN

fand was given permission to address

the House for 1 minute and to revise

and extend his remarks.)

Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr.

Speaker, recently the United States

and Japan resumed automobile trade

talks and these talks have collapsed.

The talks were aimed at opening the

Japanese market to autos and auto

parts.

The United States presented new proposals in the two priority areas—improved foreign access to Japan’s auto

markets and increase sales of auto

parts in both the United States and

Japan. Japan’s auto market remains

closed. It has been stated Japan sells as

many cars in a week in the United

States as United States automakers

sell a whole year in Japan.

Japan continues to maintain a closed

economy which discriminates against

United States auto exports and effects

international economics. Japanese officials have expressed dismay over what

they termed new demands at a late

stage of talks.

Currently, there is a $36.7 billion

United States-Japan gap in trade in

autos and auto parts. This gap has to

be decreased. Japan’s market share of

auto imports is only 4 percent. In addition, Japan’s market share of auto imports is only 2.4 percent.

Nearly 2 years of negotiations have

failed to produce an agreement in the

United States-Japan auto trade talks.

The administration announced tough

trade sanctions against Japan. These

sanctions will probably entail higher

tariffs on Japanese imports worth billions of dollars a year.

I urge USTR and the administration

to remain tough on Japan. The United

States-Japan gap in trade is not reflective of the competitiveness of United

States autos and auto parts. The United States is manufacturing auto and

auto parts that are capable of competing in the Japanese market. The quality of United States products would

gradually bring about a reduction of

the deficit, if Japan would only begin

to open their market.

We need to send Japan a clear message that we will not back down on the

opening of their markets to auto and

auto parts. If they refuse to negotiate,

we should promptly enact tough sanctions.

CLEAN WATER ACT PROTECTIONS

THREATENED BY H.R. 961

f(Mr. FLAKE asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FLAKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise

today in opposition to H.R. 961 because

I know that rolling back essential protections of the Clean Water Act will

not contribute to the health and welfare of my constituents. In communities such as mine, water quality

problems still persist. In addition to

New York City-wide problems with

giardia, a bacteria that causes stomach

ailments, the families in my district