[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 162 (Thursday, October 19, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H10311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PAY MORE, GET LESS PLAN

  (Mr. DOGGETT asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, let me take the gentleman to a little 
different part of his Bible. There is a part called honor thy father 
and thy mother, and I do not find anything honorable about this 
Republican pay more, get less plan. That is what it is.
  Of course, not everybody is unhappy with it. You see, while it gives 
a swift kick to seniors, those who bought into the plan get a mighty 
big kickback. Even the Republicans' own staffers say yes, taxpayers are 
going to have to fork over an extra $1 billion because of the repeal 
and weakening of antikickback provisions in this bill. The 
pharmaceutical companies settled for only $100 billion by the 
Republican plan to repeal the discount for pharmaceuticals at public 
hospitals.
  Yes, it is very difficult for the Republicans to talk about being 
antifraud when there is so much fraud in this plan. We only need to 
turn to this morning's newspaper to see that they are saying House 
Republicans today open literally a vote trading bazaar. Speaker Newt 
Gingrich cheerfully described the bargaining as ``a little bit like 
Christmas shopping.'' Well, there are a lot of mothers and fathers in 
America who have nothing to be cheered about and much to worry about 
when it comes Christmas shopping time.

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