[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 35 (Thursday, March 24, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  ZERO VOTES FOR THE PRESIDENT'S PLAN

  (Mr. THOMAS of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMAS of California. Mr. Speaker, that ringing you hear in your 
ears is the Democratic spin doctors; we just heard another one trying 
to tell you that, when the President's plan was offered in the 
Subcommittee on Health yesterday, it was done just to embarrass the 
Democrats.
  Mr. Speaker, I thought our job around here was to vote. I guess 
Democrats are embarrassed by voting for the President's plan. But not 
one single Democrat voted for the President's plan.
  Now we are told that the measure voted out of the subcommittee 
contains the goals of the President's plan. They rejected the 
structure, but they have retained the goals of the Clinton health plan.
  Let me tell my colleagues that without refutation, the measure that 
was voted out of the subcommittee yesterday would put a majority of 
Americans under a Government-owned Government-run, taxpayer-insured 
health program. Is that the President's goal? I thought in the State of 
the Union the President said he wanted private insurance for all 
Americans. Maybe I am confused on the goals. The Democrats voted for a 
majority of Americans to be under a Government program. The President 
said he wanted private insurance. Who's embarrassing whom around here.
  Mr. Speaker, the majority leader just said ``a single vote is worth 
1,000 sound bites.'' If that is true, yesterday in committee the 
Democrats swallowed 7,000 sound bites. Zero votes out of a possible 
seven for the President's goals and structure; if the Clinton plan's 
goal is private insurance, zero votes as well.

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