[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 100 (Tuesday, July 15, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H5190]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MEDICARE AND THE BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hefley). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 21, 1997 the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Stearns] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, let me take my colleagues back to 1995. 
Congressional colleagues passed and sent to the President a balanced 
budget plan that slowed Medicare spending in order to perpetuate and 
preserve the program. Of course, it being before an election year, the 
President promptly vetoed the bill, citing, quote, ``excessive cuts in 
Medicare,'' unquote, as the primary reason for his veto.
  Amazingly, the President and his Democrat friends went even further. 
They based their entire campaign for the Presidency in 1996 and for 
Congress on the Medicare cuts, the so-called Mediscare campaign.
  Of course, most Americans knew that the Democrats' fear tactics were 
baseless, that there were no cuts in Medicare spending. In fact, the 
budget we passed 2 years ago contained $1.252 trillion in spending on 
Medicare for the next 5 years, an increase in funding that more than 
exceeded twice the rate of inflation.
  I call the attention of my colleagues to the first chart on my left. 
In 1996, the President said, ``you remember that budget I vetoed last 
year because it had excessive cuts in Medicare?'' Well, 8 months later 
the President changed his tune on Medicare, but of course that is not 
surprising; the election was over.
  In 1997, the President said, ``America needs a balanced budget that 
is in balance with our values, that protects Medicare. That is exactly 
what this budget does. It keeps our fundamental commitment to our 
parents, preserving and protecting Medicare.''
  My colleagues, we may be having a heat wave here in Washington, but 
it just cannot compare with the President's hot air. Look at this 
second chart. Under our 1995 budget plan, the one of course that was 
vetoed by President Clinton because it claimed it had excessive 
Medicare cuts, total spending on Medicare would have exceeded $1.25 
trillion from 1998 to the year 2002. The balanced budget agreement 
reached this year between the President and Congress has total Medicare 
spending of less than $1.25 trillion over those same years.
  The 1995 budget plan, the one which proposes excessive cuts in 
Medicare, had more funding than the current budget plan. In 1996, $1.25 
trillion in Medicare spending was labeled as having excessive cuts. 
This year, less than $1.25 trillion in Medicare spending, is used to 
preserve and protect this program. As the chart shows, the 1995 budget 
plan would have provided $4 billion more in Medicare spending than the 
current budget. Let me repeat, we spent more on Medicare in the 1995 
plan than this 1997 plan endorsed by the President.
  I am glad that the President has joined us in an effort to save 
Medicare, but I hope that he also realizes that Medicare is just too 
important a program for political theater. If he and his supporters had 
put politics aside, had rejected petty demagoguery and had rolled up 
their sleeves to work with us in saving Medicare, be could have put the 
program in place back then on the path to financial security 2 years 
ago.
  My colleagues, there is no room for partisan games when the health of 
30 million Americans is at stake. I am proud of our efforts to protect, 
preserve, and strengthen Medicare in 1995. It is sad, unfortunately, 
that others jeopardize the future of Medicare to score political 
points. We owe it to our 30 million fellow citizens to work together to 
ensure the solvency of the Medicare Program. Let us put our duty ahead 
of politics and build a brighter future for all Americans.

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