[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 3, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              WE HAVE TO GET OUR FINANCIAL HOUSE IN ORDER

  (Mr. SCARBOROUGH asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. SCARBOROUGH. Mr. Speaker, this Congress faces two challenges in 
the next 100 days and in the rest of this session. We have got to get 
our financial house in order. We have got to finally balance the 
budget, do it for the first time since 1969. The second thing we are 
going to have to do is finally get Medicare costs under control. A 
report by President Clinton's own task force shows that Medicare goes 
bankrupt by the year 2002. We have got to do both of these things at 
the same time, and it is going to call for heavy lifting, and it is 
going to call for bipartisan support.
  I ask the Democrats today to come forward with a plan that not only 
saves Medicare but also balances the budget by the year 2002. If they 
are not willing to take part in the process, I ask that they step back 
and let the Republican Party do it, along with other conservative 
Democrats who are just as concerned about this very important issue. We 
have no choice. We must take care of Medicare and we must balance the 
budget by the year 2002, or it is the senior citizens who will suffer 
in the end.

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