H 5090 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 17, 1995

for future generations, not put more

money into it.

A DARK COMEDY: CUTTING

fMEDICARE

(Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, why are

the Republicans cutting Medicare in

order to provide a tax break for the

privileged few? Here is a quick preview

of today’s debate on the Republican

budget of broken promises. If you like

horror movies, stay tuned, because

what the Republicans do to Medicare

recipients is horrible. If you like mysteries, stay tuned, as we try to unravel

the many ways that secret Republican

task forces propose to hike the cost of

Medicare.

Best of all, if you like comedy, do not

tune into the comedy channel, tune in

right here. Watch the Republicans try

to explain how a cut is not a cut, how,

if they propose to double the Medicare

deductible, raise the premiums every

month, even charge people $20 a month

extra just to be able to see their own

doctor, that that is not a cut. They do

that with a straight face and call it reform. Horror, mystery, comedy; very

dark comedy we will see today as the

Republicans cut Medicare in order to

provide a tax break for the privileged

few.

A HISTORIC VOTE TO BALANCE

THE FEDERAL DEFICIT

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

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GOSS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the

distinguished gentleman from Lakewood, OH [Mr. HOKE].

Mr. HOKE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the

gentleman for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow we are going

to do something that is so historic,

that is so extraordinary, that is so

unique, that has not been done in 26

years. Tomorrow we are going to take

a vote, and in fact, we will balance the

Federal budget for the first time in 26

years.

What does it mean? What does it

mean back in Cleveland? It means safer

streets. It means more hope. It means

greater opportunity. It means better

education. It means more prosperity

for our children, for our grandchildren.

It means preserving this Nation for the

next generation.

Mr. Speaker, we are going to hear so

much bitterness from the other side,

and it is a great tragedy of this period

in American history that there is so

much talent and there is so much intelligence and there is so much good feeling and belief, and yet all that can be

offered is so much bitterness and defense of the status quo.

Tomorrow will be the most historic

vote of this 104th Congress.

A BUDGET-BUSTING TAX GIVEAWAY PAID FOR BY OUR GRANDMOTHERS

(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, the Republican budget has it backward. They

propose cutting Social Security and

Medicare benefits by over $2,500 per recipient through the year 2002 to pay for

tax breaks to the privileged few. This

means your grandmother’s Social Security and Medicare benefits will

shrink substantially. Her nursing home

expenses will rise if she can even get

in.

However, the money saved from these

harsh cuts will not go to balance the

budget. The money will go to pay for

tax breaks to the wealthiest among us:

The American billionaires who move to

the Caribbean and take their money

with them to escape paying taxes here;

or the families earning $200,000 a year,

who will be bestowed a $500 tax credit;

or the foreign corporations who do

business in this country and earn millions but do not pay a dime in taxes.

If the Republicans were serious, they

would not balance the budget on the

backs of our seniors to pander to the

rich and powerful who can pay for lobbyists in this town. If the Republicans

were serious, they would not have a

budget-busting $360 billion tax giveaway paid for by our grandmothers.

REPUBLICANS USE MEDICARE

TRUST FUND TO BANKROLL TAX

fCUTS FOR THE WEALTHY

(Mr. WAXMAN asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans say they want to save the

Medicare Program, and they promised

not to cut Social Security. What they

are doing is using the Medicare trust

fund to bankroll tax cuts for the

wealthy.

Make no mistake about it, cuts in

Medicare amount to cuts in Social Security. The typical Medicare beneficiary will spend 40 percent to 50 percent of the cost of living increases in

Social Security for increases in the

Medicare costs they will incur. Cuts in

Medicare amount to cuts in Social Security. Social Security accounts for

half or more of the annual incomes for

a majority of elderly.

More than 30 percent of older Americans rely on Social Security for 80 percent or more of their income. The typical Medicare beneficiary by 2002 will

see 40 to 50 percent of their Social Security COLA eaten up by increases in

Medicare cost-sharing and premium.

They are not keeping their promises.

Numbers do not lie. Listen to these

numbers when you see these relatively

well-off young Republican Members of

the House tell us that seniors are going

to be better off.

PLAYING WITH REALITY WILL

CATCH UP WITH THE DEMOCRATS

(Mr. EMERSON asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1

minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I have

listened to the 1-minutes this morning,

and I do not usually make 1-minute

speeches. However, I am perplexed by

what I have heard. The Democrats have

no budget plan of their own, none.

They do not have one. They will not

cooperate with any attempt to reform

Medicare on a bipartisan basis. They

stand here and rail about Republican

cuts, cuts, cuts. There are not any

cuts. To Democrats, restraining the

rate of growth is a cut. The American

public ought to know that. Such playing with reality will, indeed, catch up

with them.

THE SEPARATE ENROLLMENT AND

LINE-ITEM VETO ACT OF 1995

fMr. CLINGER. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent that: First, it be in

order to consider in the House a motion to take from the Speaker’s table

the bill (S. 4) to grant the power to the

President to reduce budget authority,

and for other purposes, to strike all

after the enacting clause of the Senate

bill, and to insert the text of H.R. 2 as

passed by this House; second, that the

motion be debatable for not to exceed 1

hour, to be equally divided and controlled among the chairman and ranking minority members of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and the Committee on Rules, and

third, that the previous question be ordered on the motion to final adoption

without intervening motion except for

one motion to recommit.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.

UPTON). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?

Mr. WISE. Reserving the right to object, Mr. Speaker, I just want to know

whether the distinguished chairman

needed any more time to explain his request, for which purpose I would happily yield, although I think the gentleman got it all in.

Mr. Speaker, this is a normal process

of the House. While I personally oppose

the line-item veto bill, the gentleman’s

request is in order. I will withdraw my

reservation of objection and will not

object.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there

objection to the request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?

There was no objection.

Mr. CLINGER. Mr. Speaker, I offer a

motion.

The Clerk read as follows:

Mr. CLINGER moves that the House take

from the Speaker’s table the bill (S. 4) to

grant the power to the President to reduce

budget authority, and for other purposes,

strike all after the enacting clause of the

Senate bill, and insert the text of H.R. 2, as

passed by the House.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr.