H 4904 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE May 12, 1995

in a saying here is what we think are

the reasonable cuts if we are going to

achieve a balanced budget.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA’S 1995

SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET AND

fRESCISSIONS OF AUTHORITY REQUEST ACT OF 1995—MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE

UNITED STATES (H. DOC. 104–74)

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. FOX

of Pennsylvania) laid before the House

the following message from the President of the United States; which was

read and, together with the accompanying papers, without objection, referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed:

To the Congress of the United States:

In accordance with section 446 of the

District of Columbia Self-Government

and Governmental Reorganization Act,

I am transmitting the District of Columbia’s 1995 Supplemental Budget and

Rescissions of Authority Request Act

of 1995. This transmittal does not represent an endorsement of the contents

of the District’s budget.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON.

THE WHITE H

fOUSE, May 12, 1995.

b 1330

SPECIAL ORDERS

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. FOX

of Pennsylvania). Under the Speaker’s

announced policy of January 4, 1995,

and under a previous order of the

House, the following Members will be

recognized for 5 minutes each.

THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET IS A

CUT IN MEDICARE AND SOCIAL

fSECURITY

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentleman from Missouri [Mr. GEPHARDT]

is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise

this afternoon to speak about the Republican budget and its effect on Medicare and Social Security. The assertion

is trying to be made on the Republican

side that this is not a cut. Well, I beg

to differ. To the senior citizens of this

country who have paid all their lives

into this trust fund, it is a cut.

A cut is a reduction in services, an

increase in premiums, an increase in

copays and deductibles. So to the senior citizen out there, or to their family,

you can call it anything you want to

call it; it is a reduction in services. It

is less than they expected to be able to

get out of this very, very important

program in their lives, and let us remember who we are affecting here. We

are not just affecting the recipient of

the program for the person that is enrolled in Medicare. We are affecting

their entire family. The 30-, and 40-,

and 50-year-old sons and daughters of

these recipients of Social Security will

have to make up the money if their

parent cannot come up with it for the

copay, or the deductible or the increased premium, and remember that

this increased premium will come out

of their Social Security check. It is

automatically deducted, so it is in effect a decrease in their Social Security

monthly payment.

Mr. Speaker, we have got lots and

lots of senior citizens around the country who live on their Social Security.

It is the only thing they have to look

forward to every month to pay their

rent, to pay their heating bill, to pay

for their food, and so that amount will

be reduced. Let us also remember this

budget calls for a reduction in the Social Security benefit. It calls for an arbitrary reduction in the cost of living

escalator by over a half a percent a

year beginning in 1999.

By the year 2002 it means a $240 cut

in their Social Security benefit. So, because of the Medicare cut which comes

to about $1,000 a person a year immediately, the $240 cut in their Social Security benefit by the year 2002, these

folks who are living on Social Security

and their families who help support

them are going to be out about $1,240 a

year that they now count on in order

to get by.

Now let us remember that these programs are supported by taxes. There is

no deficit in the Medicare trust fund.

There is no deficit in the Social Security trust fund. There is more money

coming into those trust funds today

than is spent, and we believe that it is

wrong to make up for problems somewhere else in the budget out of those

trust funds, yet that is precisely what

the Republican budget does.

They said proudly for days, ‘‘We’re

not going to touch Social Security; it’s

off the table.’’ Well, it is on the table

again in a big way, $1,240 per person per

year it is on the table, and that is not

what was said. What was said before

the budget came out was Social Security is off the table, it is not going to

be cut.

And now we even see why it is being

cut. It is being cut for a tax break. The

Medicare cut almost equals the amount

that is going out to give a tax break, a

tax windfall, for the wealthiest people

in the country.

So now we see the real value that is

being expressed. A budget is an expression of values in its most important

meaning. The value that the Republican Party is expressing in this budget

is that it is fine to take dollars, $1,240

a year ultimately, from the middle-income families of this country and

transfer it to people making $200, and

$300, and $400 and $500,000 a year so

they can get a $20,000-a-year tax break.

We are going to take $1,240 a year from

middle-income families and families

trying to stay in the middle class.

Is that our sense of values? Is that

what we want to have happen in this

country? I do not think so. I think

what we want is to help middle-income

families stay in the middle class, and

that is what Social Security and Medicare have primarily been about.

This is not the right approach, this is

not what we ought to be doing, and if

you say the Social Security funds may

not be stable and solvent 5 and 10 years

from now, I say, ‘‘Fine, let’s look at

that. Let’s look at the whole health

care system as we do it, and let’s not

start this discussion by giving a $20,000-

a-year tax break to families earning

$250,000 a year. Let’s put that off to the

side. Let’s save that one for later when

we finally got enough money in the

budget to consider things like that.

But for right now let’s talk about the

real problems of our country: education, Medicare, Social Security,

keeping those programs there for the

middle-income people who paid their

taxes their entire life. Let’s not take it

from them. Let’s help strengthen those

programs.’’

So I hope, as we go into this most important budget, this Republican budget

represents the greatest change in U.S.

budgets in many, many years. Let us

have a full debate in this Congress

about what is actually happening here.

This budget will have direct significance, dramatic consequences, in the

lives of average working American

families. They deserve to know what

this budget will do to them, and before

we vote on it and cast votes for it or

against it, let us let the people know

what is in it. Let us let them participate in the debate. Then we can make

a judgment. And I believe if that is

done, we will make the right judgment,

and the right judgment is not to invade

Medicare and Social Security to give

tax breaks to the people who have done

the best in our country. That will not

be our judgment, and I urge that, after

this debate, we will make a better

judgment, and we will make sure that

Social Security and Medicare are not

invaded, and that these cuts are not

made to the middle-income people of

this country simply to give a tax break

to the people who have it made.

previous order of the House, the genThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

ftleman from South Carolina [Mr. GRAHAM] is recognized for 5 minutes.

[Mr. GRAHAM addressed the House.

His remarks will appear hereafter in

the Extensions of Remarks.]

OSHA UNDER ATTACK

fThe SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a

previous order of the House, the gentleman from New York [Mr. OWENS] is

recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, OSHA, the

agency responsible for the health and

safety of workers in this Nation, is

presently under intense attack. Particularly my colleague, the gentleman

from Georgia [Mr. NORWOOD], who is a

fellow member of the Economic and

Educational Opportunities Committee,

has launched a relentless series of attacks on OSHA.