[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 17, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H5088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    THIS IS PUNISHMENT, NOT A BUDGET

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, what is wrong with the truth? It seems 
that many people are running in the opposite direction when we simply 
want to tell you the truth. This is not a budget, it is simply pure 
punishment.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to report to you on the growing 
sentiments of my constituents in Houston, TX. Like other Texans and 
Americans nationwide, they are beginning to understand what the 
Republican budget proposals could really mean to their lives. I have no 
problem with telling them the truth, and they do not like it.
  To pay for the huge tax cuts for the well-to-do, leaders of the other 
side of the aisle want to enact a $283 billion cut in Medicare, three 
times the size of the largest previous cut in history, and Medicaid 
will be cut approximately $182 million.
  The lives of more than 2,000,000 Medicare seniors in Texas would be 
dramatically impacted, and by the year 2002 each Medicare senior in 
Texas would be asked to pay an additional $1,122 out-of-pocket 
expenses. Each would be forced to pay $4,000 more for fiscal years 1996 
through 2002 to make up for these cuts. We want the future to be free 
for future generations but not on the backs of seniors and those most 
vulnerable.
  Look at this, Mr. Speaker. Here the Republicans are cutting the 
dollars that the Association for Retired Citizens are about to use to 
help seniors find jobs. We need to do something better, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. Speaker, what's wrong with the truth? This is not a budget; this 
is punishment.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to report to you on the growing 
sentiments of my constituents in Houston.
  Like other Texans and Americans nationwide, they're beginning to 
understand what the Republican budget proposals could really mean to 
their lives, and they don't like it.
  To pay for huge tax cuts for the well-to-do, leaders on the other 
side of the aisle want to enact a $283 billion cut in Medicare three 
times the size of the largest previous cut in history. Medicaid would 
be cut approximately $182 million.
  The lives of more than 2-million Medicare seniors in Texas would be 
dramatically impacted.
  By the year 2002, each Medicare senior in Texas would be asked to pay 
an additional $1,222 out-of-pocket dollars per year for their health 
coverage.
  Each would be forced to pay nearly $4,000 dollars more, from fiscal 
years 1996 through 2002, to make up for GOP cuts.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on this side believe that a balanced 
budget is the correct goal, we want to free future generations from the 
burden of today's debt. We want to shrink the size of government in a 
responsible manner that will not pull the rug out from under a steady, 
strong economy.
  And we want to make government more efficient and fair without 
breaking long-standing promises to the Nation's seniors or vulnerable 
children.
  Mr. Speaker, we must and can do better.
  

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