[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H12196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESIDENT CLINTON FOR VETOING CR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] is recognized 
during morning business for 4 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I learned this morning that the President 
had exercised his veto to prevent an increase in Medicare premiums for 
our Nation's elderly by vetoing the continuing resolution early this 
morning. Again, Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate the President on 
doing that, because if he were to allow the Medicare premiums to rise, 
it would be the beginning of this whole process that the Republican 
leadership is trying to impose on the American people where Medicare 
premiums and costs rise, the program is cut back, and Medicare ceases 
to be the effective health care program for the elderly that it has 
been in the past.
  I think also it was significant because last night there was a 
private meeting where Republicans heard the details of the much-awaited 
budget compromise bill. I was appointed by the Democrats as a conferee 
on the budget reconciliation. As has been the case with all budget 
matters this year, as well as with the Medicare issue, the Republicans 
meet in secret and do not have meetings with the Democrats and the 
Republicans together to try to resolve their differences on the budget.
  Madam Speaker, it has characterized the Medicare debate from the very 
beginning, when there were not hearings, when we were asked to vote on 
bills in committee within 24 hours or even the very morning when the 
bills were sent to us, and there was no serious debate, there was no 
effort to have a hearing; and now, in dealing with the budget and 
hammering out a bill that will come to the floor probably today or 
tomorrow or Thursday, once again, the Republican leadership has 
excluded the Democrats.
  Why do they do that? Well, they do it because they do not want the 
public to know what is happening with Medicare and Medicaid. They know 
what they are doing is taking money from Medicare and from Medicaid in 
order to pay for tax cuts, primarily for wealthy Americans and large 
corporations, and they know that if there are actual meetings or 
conferences with the Democrats on some of these issues, that we will 
hammer the point home, that they need to eliminate some of these cuts 
in Medicare, that they need to eliminate these increased premiums in 
Medicare if they want to have a budget, and if they want to balance the 
budget over 7 years in a way that does not hurt seniors, that does not 
hurt the average American.
  Unfortunately, that is not what is happening, and once again, we are 
faced with the reality that today the Government is partially shut down 
because the Republicans want to make an issue over Medicare.
  Madam Speaker, I want to read this quote again which I carry around 
with me from Speaker Gingrich where he says, ``Now, we didn't get rid 
of Medicare in round one because we don't think that is politically 
smart and we don't think that that is the right way to go through a 
transition, but we believe it is going to wither on the vine because we 
think people are voluntarily going to leave it.''
  That is what this is all about, and it is to the credit of President 
Clinton that he does not allow us to go down that slippery slope and 
that he vetoed these increases in the Medicare premiums, because if he 
allows that to happen, if he allowed those premiums to go upon January 
1, it would be the beginning of this Republican effort to cut Medicare 
in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and the beginning of the 
end for the Medicare Program.

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