[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 35 (Thursday, March 18, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H1232-H1233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CONSEQUENCES FOR TELLING TRUTH ABOUT MEDICARE BILL EXTREMELY SEVERE

  (Mr. EMANUEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, the consequences for insubordination are 
extremely severe. That was the warning that the Medicare actuary 
Richard Foster received from his superiors for trying to tell the truth 
about the real costs of the Medicare bill. The penalties for misleading 
the American people are extremely severe as well.
  Today, we learned that some in the Republican leadership knew all 
along the real cost of the prescription drug

[[Page H1233]]

bill and yet continued to hide that information from their colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle. Let me again quote from the Wall Street 
Journal's lead editorial yesterday: ``What's a mere $140 billion among 
friends?''
  This is a case not only of politics trumpeting policy but of politics 
trumpeting principle. Some think that there are consequences for 
insubordination, but all of us know that the consequences of deception 
are extremely severe as well.

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