[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 183 (Friday, November 17, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H13279-H13280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THAT IS BILL CLINTON SPEAKING, NOT NEWT GINGRICH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Weldon] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is very timely for me to speak 
at this point particularly regarding the issue of Medicare. As a 
physician I previously took care of many seniors in the Medicare plan. 
Before I get into some of the comments that have been made today about 
the Medicare issue, I do want to just stress to all my colleagues that 
we can get out of here if the President will sign our continuing 
resolution that simply calls for a 7-year balanced budget with CBO 
numbers.
  Mr. Speaker, the President himself has said that we should balance 
the budget in 5 years, not 7 years, and the President himself has said 
that CBO numbers are the more accurate numbers, and to stay here, and 
stay here, and legislate, and legislate when the problem is at the 
White House, I think is fully inappropriate, and I really want to talk 
about this Medicare issue because there has been in my opinion--well, 
let me just say this. Let me quote from the New York or Washington Post 
which I think said it very well, what is going on with our colleagues 
on the other side of the aisle as well as with the President?
  The Washington Post said, Bill Clinton and the congressional 
Democrats were handed an unusual chance this year to deal 
constructively with the effect of Medicare on the deficit, and they 
blew it. The Democrats, led by the President, choose instead to present 
themselves as Medicare's great protectors. They have shamelessly used 
the issue, just as we have seen tonight, and demagogued on it because 
they think that is where the votes are and the way to derail the 
Republican proposals generally.
  Now I would like to go back in time about 2 years, to a day in April 
1993 when President Clinton was addressing 

[[Page H 13280]]
a meeting of the AARP, and he said the following. He said today 
Medicare, Medicaid, and Medicare, are going up at three times the rate 
of inflation. We propose, and this is the President and the Democrats 
in the House saying we propose to let it go up at two times the rate of 
inflation. That is not a Medicare or Medicaid cut, so when you hear all 
this business about cuts, and we have heard the cut word used just now 
tonight, let me caution you that this is not what is going on. It is a 
reduction in the rate of growth.

  Mr. HOKE. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman would yield; this is what 
Republicans are saying? Right? Your are quoting a Republican that must 
have said that.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. No, I am actually quoting the President of the 
United States.
  Mr. HOKE. President Clinton said that these are not cuts.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. That is right.
  Mr. HOKE. I thank the gentleman from Florida.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. When I came here, I met with the Speaker, I 
met with the Republican leadership, I met with the chairmen of the 
Committee on Commerce and the subcommittees, and I felt very strongly 
that this was extremely important, that we save Medicare. It was 
announced by the trustees of the Medicare plan, three of whom are 
Clinton administration Cabinet officials, that the Medicare plan was 
going to be insolvent, and I felt very strongly that it was extremely 
important that we maintain the solvency of the program, and the plan, 
and the proposal that has been put forth, and our budget proposal that 
we passed today calls for reducing the rate of growth of Medicare to 
about double the inflation rate. It is going to increase and increase 
dramatically. Essentially what we are doing is what the Democrats said 
needed to be done 2 years ago, but now today they are shamelessly, as 
the Washington Post has admitted, a paper that does not traditionally 
endorse Republicans, they have said that this is shameless demagoguery.
  Let me go on. I will quote President Clinton on a CBS morning show 
interview March 3, 1994, that is just last year. It is not necessary 
for us to have a huge tax increase if employers and employees do their 
part, if we can slow the rate of growth in Medicare and Medicaid to 
just two times the inflation, just slow it down where it is only 
increasing twice as much as regular prices.
  My colleagues, that is exactly what the Republicans do in their 
budget proposal.
  Again on October 5, 1993, Clinton said in a White House press 
conference only in Washington do people believe that no one can get by 
on twice the rate of inflation. So when you hear all this business 
about cuts, let me caution you that is not what is going on. That is 
Bill Clinton speaking, not Newt Gingrich.

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