[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 25, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H4616-H4617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1945
                   HISTORIC VOTE AGAINST OUR VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tiahrt). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Mississippi [Mr. Taylor] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow in Congress 
Democrats and Republicans alike will vote for a tax reduction. They are 
going to give the wealthiest contributors a big tax break. They are 
going to give the smaller contributors a smaller tax break. But when it 
comes to those who in my opinion contributed the most to our country, 
not with their wallets, but with their lives and with their blood, they 
are going to get nothing at all.
  I am talking about our Nation's veterans and in particular, our 
Nation's military retirees. Mr. Speaker, today, your Congress had the 
opportunity to fulfill the promise of free health care for life for our 
Nation's military retirees, a promise that has been broken, a promise 
that remains broken every day.
  Mr. Speaker, out of this entire year-long legislative session, today 
was the only day, according to the Parliamentarian, that legislation to 
restore to our Nation's military retirees the health care benefits that 
they were promised could be brought to the floor for a vote, and today 
I tried to do just that.
  I am pleased to tell my colleagues that every single Democratic 
Member of Congress voted to help our Nation's military retirees, every 
single one. I regret to inform my colleagues that every single 
Republican Member of Congress, let me repeat this; every single 
Republican Member of Congress voted against helping our Nation's 
military retirees, even though the bill that would have helped them was 
introduced by a Republican, the gentleman from Colorado [Mr. Hefley].

[[Page H4617]]

  I am a cosponsor of that bill and I am very proud to do so, because 
after all, if it is good for America, it really should not matter 
whether it is a Democratic or Republican idea. I am proud to say that 
every single Democratic Member of Congress took the same patriotic 
approach to Medicare subvention. They supported bringing Medicare 
subvention to the floor for a vote, even though the bill's sponsor is a 
Republican.
  Why then, I ask the people on this side of the room, did every single 
Republican vote against it? Why did the 98 Republicans who cosponsored 
Medicare subvention vote against bringing it to the floor for a vote, 
despite a plea from the Retired Officers Association?
  I will read a letter sent to me by the Retired Officers Association:

       Dear Representative Taylor: Based on discussions with you, 
     we understand that you intend to make a motion to defeat the 
     previous question, and if successful, to offer an amendment 
     to H.R. 2015, the Budget Reconciliation Act, to allow 
     Medicare to reimburse the Department of Defense for care 
     provided to Medicare-eligible service beneficiaries in the 
     Military Health Services System, a concept we refer to as 
     Medicare subvention. The Retired Officers Association 
     strongly supports this initiative.
       Medicare subvention is critical to help honor the lifetime 
     health care commitment. Servicemembers were promised lifetime 
     health care in return for the extraordinary sacrifices of a 
     20- to 30-year career in uniform. Now, after several rounds 
     of base closures, massive personnel reductions, and the 
     advent of Tricare Prime, most Medicare-eligible service 
     beneficiaries have lost access to military facilities.
       Servicemembers did not equivocate when called upon to serve 
     this Nation during years of armed conflict. This Nation 
     should not equivocate on its commitment to provide them 
     lifetime access to military facilities.

  This is the list, and I want to submit it for the Record, of the 98 
Members, Republican Members of Congress, who cosponsored this measure, 
who will go home and tell their constituents they are for this, they 
want to help the military retirees, but when the chance comes, the 
once-in-a-year chance comes to put it into action, voted against it:
  Hefley, Watts, Norwood, Ensign, Bonilla, Bartlett of Maryland, 
Ramstad, Goodlatte, Lewis of Kentucky, Ballenger, Bereuter, Cunningham, 
Herger, Stearns, Dan Schaefer of Colorado, Morella, Young of Alaska, 
Davis of Virginia, McHugh, Sensenbrenner, Regula, Jones, Skeen, 
Scarborough, Riggs, Stump, McCollum, Christensen, Hayworth, Wolf, 
McKeon, Hunter, Baker, Saxton, Petri, Sam Johnson of Texas, Shaw, Kim, 
Calvert, Bateman, Solomon, who voted against it in Committee on Rules 
and on the floor; Shadegg, McCrery, Tiahrt, Foley, Porter, Bilbray, 
Pryce of Ohio, who voted against it in the Committee on Rules and on 
the floor; Riley, Pombo, Graham, Bono, Canady, Weldon of Florida, 
Parker, Metcalf, Wamp.
  Mr. Speaker, I will submit the remainder for the Record.
  Campbell, Kelly, Hastings, WA, Smith, NJ, Smith, TX, Wicker, 
Callahan, Kolbe, Barton, TX, Linda Smith, WA, Granger, LaHood, Collins, 
Paxon, Doolittle, Hansen, Linder, Hutchinson, Rohrabacher, Hostettler, 
Emerson, Nethercutt, Diaz-Balart, Everett, Weller, Ney, Combest, 
Packard, Talent, McInnis, Taylor, NC, Bob Schaffer, CO, Gallegly, 
Shimkus, Horn, Chambliss, Chenoweth, Fox, PA, and Gibbons.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to remind people that this is the only chance we 
are going to get to vote on Medicare subvention. Do not go home for the 
Fourth of July parades and tell the veterans you are with them because 
they now know, and the Congressional Record will reflect, that when 
given the opportunity to do something for them, or do something for 
Newt Gingrich, you voted for Newt Gingrich and against our veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the material referred to 
earlier during my special order.


                             The Retired Officers Association,

                                    Alexandria, VA, June 25, 1997.
     Hon. Gene Taylor,
     U.S. House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Taylor:  Based on discussions with you, 
     we understand that you intend to make a motion to defeat the 
     previous question, and if successful, to offer an amendment 
     to HR 2015, the Budget Reconciliation Act, to allow Medicare 
     to reimburse the Department of Defense for care provided to 
     Medicare-eligible service beneficiaries in the Military 
     Health Services System--a concept we refer to as Medicare 
     subvention. The Retired Officers Association strongly 
     supports this initiative.
       Medicare subvention is critical to help honor the lifetime 
     health care commitment. Servicemembers were promised lifetime 
     health care in return for the extraordinary sacrifices of a 
     20- to 30-year career in uniform. Now, after several rounds 
     of base closures, massive personnel reductions, and the 
     advent of Tricare Prime, most Medicare-eligible service 
     beneficiaries have lost access to military facilities.
       Servicemembers did not equivocate when called upon to serve 
     this Nation during years of armed conflict. This Nation 
     should not equivocate on its commitment to provide them 
     lifetime access to military facilities.
       Medicare subvention will help honor that commitment while 
     saving money--a ``win-win'' proposition for Medicare, for 
     taxpayers and for those who served.
           Sincerely,
                                                Michael A. Nelson,
     President.

                          ____________________