[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 20, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H15211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 BALANCED BUDGET PLAN AFFECTS RETIREES

  (Mr. STUPAK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, what this budget debate is all about is the 
Republican plan to give a $253 billion tax break to wealthy individuals 
and to repeal the minimum corporate tax. And where does the GOP 
balanced budget plan leave real people, like Mrs. Johnson, who wrote to 
me and said:

       I will be 65 years old next month, but have been disabled 
     for 9 years. At this point in time I'm very concerned about 
     what will happen to me and my husband when changes in 
     Medicare are made. My check is for $332, which doesn't cover 
     the cost of the supplemental health insurance. My husband's 
     check is $670 a month. At present he is quite ill and in the 
     VA hospital.
       We tried to save for our retirement years, but I had to 
     quit my job as a nursing assistant because of many health 
     problems. This means we have spent more just to get by than 
     we have in income. At this rate, our small savings will not 
     go too far. I don't know what the answers are to these 
     problems, but I desperately hope a solution can be found that 
     won't make life harder.

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