[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 11, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       REPUBLICAN MEDICARE PLAN: SECOND VERSE, SAME AS THE FIRST

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, here we have the second verse 
same as the first but with a lower in tone.
  Mr. Speaker, the Republican majority is continuing its attack on 
Medicare. Last year they wanted to cut the growth in Medicare $270 
billion and provide for a tax cut of $245 billion. While they still 
have their sights set a little lower this year, they still want to cut 
Medicare $168 billion.

                              {time}  1015

  Now they say that it is cutting Medicare or that it is cutting the 
growth of Medicare, but again let us reason that if you have more 
people getting to be 65 and people 65 living longer, you have to have 
growth even more than inflation that they say. At the same time they 
want to give this tax cut of $176 billion only to some of the 
wealthiest. For the second year in a row the Republican majority is 
using the trustees' report to talk about how bad they need to do it.
  If Medicare is in trouble, then let us take that savings and plow it 
back into Medicare, and not use it to give tax cuts or to balance the 
budget. I hope that our Republican majority will change their second 
verse.

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