[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                MEDICARE

  (Mr. WYNN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WYNN. Mr. Speaker, one of the things that most frustrates the 
American public is the failure of Congress to address the Nation's real 
business. Today the trustees of the Medicare system will make a report 
and talk about the real business, and that business is the problem of 
our Medicare trust fund going bankrupt in about the year 2002.
  The question then becomes what are we going to do about it? Or, 
rather, what is the Republican majority going to do about it? We 
believe that we can make prudent cuts and achieve savings that will 
solve this problem. The President has put that proposal out on the 
table. We can adjust it and avoid this bankruptcy. The question 
becomes, what does the Republican majority want to do? So far, their 
crown jewel is not solving Medicare but providing tax breaks that 
basically benefit the wealthy. The tax breaks that they have talked 
about amount to $300 billion over 5 years. Who gets that $300 billion 
in tax breaks? Not the average American. Rather, the richest 5 percent, 
people who make over $100,000 a year.
  My suggestion is this: Let us not give those big tax breaks, let us 
put the crown jewel back in the drawer, let us address the Nation's 
real business which is solving the Medicare problem. We can do that 
without giving tax breaks to the wealthy, and that is what we ought to 
do. Take care of the Nation's business.

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