[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 5, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H5821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          REPRESENTING AMERICA'S VALUES, NOT WASHINGTON VALUES

  (Mr. BOEHNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, the 1996 Medicare trustees report is 
expected to be released later today. Early reports are showing that the 
trust fund is headed toward bankruptcy much quicker than what we had 
expected.
  Last year Republicans had the courage to seriously address Medicare's 
impending bankruptcy. We produced and passed an honest and reasonable 
plan that would increase benefits for senior citizens, fight fraud and 
abuse, and extend long-term solvency to this very vital program.
  Our plan last year to address Medicare solvency problems increased 
per beneficiary spending from $4,800 in 1995 to $7,100 in the year 
2002. The President's response, with the help of his liberal allies 
last year, was to divide our country by launching a scare campaign 
aimed at seniors.
  The President should stop misleading and scaring seniors and come to 
the table with a serious plan that addresses Medicare's serious 
solvency problem. What should scare our parents is that President 
Clinton is doing nothing to help solve the impending bankruptcy of 
Medicare.

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