[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 179 (Monday, November 13, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H12162-H12163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRESS SHOULD COME TOGETHER AND SERVE AMERICA WELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barr). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from North Carolina [Mrs. Clayton] is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, in a time of crisis, one wonders where is 
that forceful leadership of the majority? Where is the forceful 
leadership of the Speaker? I tell my colleagues where they are. They 
are playing a dangerous game of chicken. Mr. Speaker, I say to them, 
shame on you for doing that.
  In particular, in a state of crisis and emergency, Medicare and 
Medicaid should not be played as pawns and toys in the hands of people 
who want to force their way. I say they need to find new toys and new 
games to play and not force these kinds of unacceptable views on the 
President.
  When we get down to the brass tacks, it makes no difference who 
flinches first. That will be lost in yesterday's news. The people will 
forget all of that. What they will wonder is that we failed to govern, 
we failed to take care of the people's business.
  By the time the majority comes to their senses, their capricious acts 
will have already hurt those people who can least afford to sustain 
these harsh blows: The elderly, the poor, the disabled; not only those 
who are being furloughed tomorrow or at midnight tonight.
  The majority has voted to cut Medicare by $270 billion. To do what? 
To make sure their wealthy friends get a tax break. The poorest of the 
poor, those who receive Medicaid, $182 billion will be reduced. That 
will mean unnecessary pain for a lot of people who now already find 
themselves in distress.
  Mr. Speaker, what does this mean for my district in North Carolina? 
It means North Carolina will lose $6.75 billion in Medicare funding for 
the next 5 years. And add to that Medicaid, which again will lose $6.76 
billion. Those combined would be $13.51 billion that we will lose in 
the State of North Carolina.
  Mr. Speaker, that will affect millions of people, and yet my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to overload this 
resolution to continue to make the Government function by making sure 
we increase the premiums for senior citizens and Medicare. That is 
uncalled for. That is uncalled for.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, what other things in the budget reconciliation do 
we find objectionable? Mr. Speaker, $16.5 billion will be cut from the 
farming community as well. That will hurt people in my district.

  Why is it that the President finds these objectionable? Because he 
wants to serve the majority: American people, whether they are farmers 
or senior citizens, or whether they are the poor. Medicaid itself in my 
district will affect some 882,000 people. Medicare affects some 999,000 
people in my district. Should I not be concerned about that? Of course 
we are concerned about that. That is what we find objectionable about 
the budget reconciliation.

[[Page H 12163]]

  When we ask for a continuation of Government for 1 month, my 
Republican colleagues want to overload it with things we already find 
that are unacceptable in the budget reconciliation. Who will be helped 
and who will be hurt, I ask? Only those who receive the tax break will 
be helped.
  Certainly, the Federal employees who are going to be furloughed 
tomorrow will not be helped, and certainly those who will see an 
increase in their Medicare premiums in January will not be helped. 
Certainly, the students who are going to lose their loans and find that 
the interest payment is going to be increased are not going to be 
helped.
  Mr. Speaker, what is this all about? Should this not be about 
bringing Americans together? I say, shame on you, shame on you, Speaker 
of this House. Shame on you, the leader of this House. Shame on you, 
the majority in this House who do not find it in their vested interest 
to govern and to govern well.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to come together, Republicans and Democrats 
both, to understand this is a time of crisis. We need leadership. We 
need to stop this chicken game of who will flinch first. The American 
people are annoyed at that arrogance. We need grownups to act like 
grownups and not act like overspoiled children. I beeseech to my 
colleagues to come together as persons of responsibility, persons of 
compassion, and to serve America well.

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