H 5236 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 18, 1995

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Virginia?

There was no objection.

REPUBLICANS COMMITTED TO

BALANCING THE BUDGET

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

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, the changes

going on here in Washington are truly

historic. The new majority here in the

House has said goodbye to the old

Washington ways.

Congress is now run by those who see

that the Federal Government is not a

solution to everything. It has become

much too big and it spends too much.

For the first time in a generation,

Congress has stood up to the mess we

call a budget. We are committed to balancing this budget, so that our children will have a future free of debt and

full of opportunity.

The defenders of the status quo on

the other side of the aisle though criticize us, they offer no alternative. They

have no vision and they have no plan.

The only thing they have left are wornout class welfare slogans and programs

that will continue out Nation’s course

to more spending, more taxes, higher

interest rates, and greater debt for our

children and grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans are moving

ahead to preserve the American Dream

for our children and their children. We

have a plan, we have a vision of a debtfree America, and we will balance the

budget.

BUDGET DEBATE IS ABOUT REAL

fPEOPLE

(Mr. BONIOR asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute.)

Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, this debate comes down to one simple question: Do you think we should be cutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to pay for tax breaks

for the privileged few in our society?

I can tell you one thing—Margaret

Leslie doesn’t think so.

I have a picture here of Margaret.

She is a senior citizen who lives in my

district.

During World War II, she was known

as ‘‘Margie the Riveter.’’

She helped build the B–29’s that

helped the Allies defeat Hitler in the

Second World War. Today, she lives on

Social Security.

After paying for her rent, her medicine, her Medicare and MediGap premiums, she is left with about $130 each

month to pay for food, bill, and everything else.

Mr. Speaker, this budget before us

today will take $240 out of Margaret’s

pocket because of cuts in Social Security.

And over the next 7 years—it will

force her to pay an additional $3,500 for

Medicare.

Not to cut the deficit. Not to balance

the budget. But to pay for tax breaks

for the wealthiest few in our society.

Mr. Speaker, we need to defeat this

budget.

REPUBLICANS OFFER HISTORIC

PLAN TO BALANCE OUT-OF-CONfTROL FEDERAL BUDGET

(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, our

liberal friends are tragically on the

wrong side of history. Their time has

come and gone. Their ideas have been

clearly refuted with evidence, their

representatives defeated at the polls.

For those that remain in this House,

there cannot be much to motivate

them as we move to smaller, less costly

Government.

Clearly, the promise of big Government has crumbled and given way to a

total reassessment of the Federal Government.

Something else is just as clear—the

need to balance the budget.

Republicans have offered a historic

plan to balance the out-of-control Federal budget. I can think of few things

more important to our future and the

future of our children than to balance

the budget. We will return power to

families and local governments as we

shift the focus of governing away from

Washington.

Republicans believe in the ability of

the individual and of families to make

the right choices, instead of big Government.

This philosophy places us against

status quo liberalism here in Washington, but squarely on the side of the

American people.

MILLIONS OF NEEDY AMERICANS

DEPEND ON MEDICARE

f(Mr. HOYER asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, this is

Tom McDonough. Tom McDonough is

not interested in liberal or conservative. Tom McDonough is interested in

the problems he has as a family member. Tom McDonough is 66 years of age.

Tom McDonough’s heart is failing,

Tom McDonough lives in Bowie, MD, in

my district and he gets $800 on Social

Security.

And the Republicans’ budget wants

to say to Tom McDonough, we are not

going to help you pay for the medical

care you need. We promised it as a Nation. We made a promise, and we talk

about promises kept, but this is a

promise broken.

Social Security is going to be cut in

5 years, in 4 years, and in 3 years for

Tom McDonough. He does not think

that is a promise made and a promise

kept.

His Medicare is going to be cut back.

Tom McDonough does not think that is

a promise made or a promise kept.

REPUBLICAN PLAN WILL SAVE

fMEDICARE

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

minute.)

Mr. BASS. Mr. Speaker, when we

began this debate yesterday or since we

have begun this debate yesterday the

debt has risen by $846 million. That is

$846 million more that you and I and

our children and our grandchildren are

going to have to pay.

We will see the other side all day

long today produce props and photographs of individuals who will be affected by this so-called budget reduction, which is not a reduction unless

you live inside the beltway.

But I am here today in Congress for

these people. Here today are my two

children, Lucy and Jonathan. That is

what it is all about today, because

today is historic. The Republican

Budget Committee is going to turn this

budget around, and I would like to see

the American people judge this Congress not by the harsh rhetoric and the

hard choices that we will be making

over the next couple of days but by the

country and the government that we

give to our children and our children’s

children long after we are gone.

AMERICANS WILL PAY MORE FOR

fMEDICARE

(Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute.)

Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, Lewis

and Ed Kierklewski are two hard-working Texans. They have worked hard all

of their lives. One is retired, one is

nearing retirement, and they deserve

to have the security of Medicare and

Social Security.

But today that security is threatened, because the Republicans say we

need to have the largest corporations

in this country pay less taxes and we

need for Lewis and Ed to pay more for

Medicare.

Interestingly enough, as peaceful as

Ed and Lewis look, the Republicans are

scared to death of them, and so in 6

hours of debate, they have provided us

this plan. This is exactly what they

have told Lewis and Ed they will do

with their Medicare.

Now we know that on this sheet of

blank paper there is nothing about

doubling the deductible for Lewis and

Ed. There is nothing about raising

their premium every year. There is

nothing about increasing their costs,

because the Republicans are afraid to

stand in this well and tell Lewis and Ed

and millions of American seniors the

truth that they are about to hike their

out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare to

pay for tax breaks for the wealthy.