[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 118 (Friday, August 19, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      HEALTH CARE AND THE DEFICIT

  Mr. DeCONCINI. Mr. President, first, I want to compliment the 
Presiding Officer, the President pro tempore. I listened to his speech 
regarding the health care bill and I must say, as usual, he puts his 
finger right on the problem, and that is doing something about the 
deficit.
  In order to have any kind of health care reform or any kind of reform 
in this country that is going to really mean something to the people, 
the deficit of the United States, of this great Nation, has to be 
curbed. And as the Presiding Officer pointed out, this President is the 
first President, at least in the 18 years that I have been here, under 
which deficit growth has actually gone down.
  But, having said that, it is not enough. And if we are going to take 
on this effort, that only this President, in the 18 years that I have 
been here, is even willing to address, it has to be done primarily to 
reduce the deficit. Health care is important to all of us. I support 
some of the comprehensive changes. But unless it makes a long-term 
deficit reduction, I agree with the Senator from West Virginia, and I 
noticed that the Senator from Oregon had pretty much the same to say 
following Senator Byrd's remarks.

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