[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 23, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H8103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MEDICARE SHOULD NOT WITHER ON THE VINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Doggett] is recognized during 
morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, while I share the concerns of the last 
speaker about terrorism, I am amazed by his comments defending Speaker 
Gingrich and his comments about Medicare and his challenge to my good 
friend, our colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Pallone.
  I wonder if the gentleman has ever listened to Speaker Gringrigh's 
exact words, because they could not be clearer in what he said, nor in 
how he interpreted these words himself and his press secretary 
interpreted these words. Furthermore, the Speaker's determination to 
let Medicare wither on the vine is consistent with everything he and 
his Republican colleagues were doing throughout this period of time.
  Let me refer to his precise words. They were said on October 24, 
1995. We have got a chart here with those words on it. He said, the key 
words, ``But we believe it's going to wither on the vine because we 
think people are voluntarily going to leave it.''
  So the big debate and the attempt at intimidation of people all over 
in this country who would have the audacity to hold the Speaker to 
these words is, well, it referred to some government bureaucracy. Well, 
he was not talking about downsizing a Federal agency. People were not 
going to leave a Federal agency. They were going to leave Medicare.
  But one need not take my interpretation of it today, because only 2 
days later, after Speaker Gingrich demonstrated what his gardening 
ability would be for the seniors of America and for generations who 
would rely on Medicare, he commented on it himself. The Atlanta 
Constitution and Journal reported on October 29 of last year that, 
quote, ``Gingrich said he was referring to the fee-for-service portion 
of Medicare, which he believes seniors would leave.'' Fee-for-service 
Medicare, the Medicare system that President Johnson signed into law in 
1965.
  As if that verification from the Speaker himself as to what he meant 
when he said let Medicare wither on the vine were not enough, his press 
secretary, Mr. Tony Blankley and some of the only words Mr. Blankley 
has ever said that I found reason to agree with, told the Los Angeles 
Times, quote, that ``it,'' the statement that he referred to, referred 
to fee-for-service Medicare. Blankley said that Gingrich's comments 
were consistent with Republicans' anticipated belief that most seniors 
will voluntarily choose to leave this traditional form of Medicare.
  Indeed, Mr. Blankley is right. The Speaker's position, which he is so 
desperate to run away from, as are all of his followers who here in 
this Republican Congress thought merely following the Speaker 90 
percent of the time to cut Medicare was a sign of disloyalty, you ought 
to be there with him every time you get an opportunity to cut Medicare, 
those folks want to reinterpret his remarks this year. They want to 
tell television stations they will be intimidated by a crew of the 
biggest thick carpet lawyers that they can find to sue them if they run 
the Speaker's own words with him saying let Medicare wither on the 
vine.
  This crowd of people were the same ones who cheered last year when 
the No. 2 Republican, Dick Armey of my own State of Texas, was saying 
that he though Medicare was an imposition on his freedom, to use his 
words. He said he would have never voted for Medicare in the first 
place and would like to see its demise. He also was demonstrating his 
gardening ability and the desire that Medicare wither on the vine.

  But it was the very same day that Speaker Gingrich gave this speech, 
October 24, 1995, that Bob Dole, the other half of the Dole-Gingrich 
ticket that we have this year, Bob Dole was telling a group on that 
same day at another part of our country that he was proud, to use his 
words, proud to have been 1 of 12 people who stood up and voted against 
Medicare because he did not think it would work in 1965.
  Yes; some three decades ago and a year, Bob Dole was here in the 
Congress voting against Medicare because he did not think it would 
work. I would have to say to his credit, at least he is not trying to 
run away from his comments the way these Republicans are determined to 
run away from the comment that they want Medicare to wither on the 
vine, as the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Pallone] commented a few 
minutes ago.
  The are scared to death that the American people are going to 
understand their determination to destroy the Medicare system as soon 
as they can pick up a few more votes in this election cycle. Meanwhile, 
let us distract the American people and everything else, but come 1997, 
let it wither on the vine.

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