[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H6836]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      WHY TAKE IT OUT ON SENIORS?

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues why we 
have been arguing so vehemently against Speaker Gingrich's stacking 
votes on the Committee on Ways and Means. The reason is that committee 
is precisely where the most egregious assault on the living standards 
of elderly Americans is taking place. It is on that committee where 
legislation to cut Medicare benefits and Medicaid benefits for people 
in nursing homes will be drafted to provide tax breaks for the 
privileged few. In fact, $245 billion in breaks to the well heeled 
while cutting the lifeline for Medicare and Social Security recipients.
  Mr. Speaker, I favor balancing the budget, but why take it out on 
seniors? Why not cut costs first by reining in the insurance companies? 
the hospitals? the pharmaceutical companies responsible for rising 
costs? Why does the majority party want to balance the budget on the 
backs of our grandmothers and grandfathers while they pander to the 
rich and powerful friends they hold in high places?


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