[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 15, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1845
                             HOUSE FOR SALE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Westmoreland). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, the special interests may have gained 
access to the Capitol, but the American people are paying for it.
  My colleague from Oregon talked about the prescription drug bill. It 
is a classic example when you see what happens to seniors across all of 
our districts who are not more than confused but have to fill out more 
than 30 pages of forms to get a single drug, where the drug companies 
or HMOs or insurance companies that are providing the plan can switch 
drugs like that at any moment, but they cannot switch out.
  The basic tenet of business is to take care of the customer first. If 
this was designed with the customer in mind, it really does come as a 
surprise.
  But I will tell you what is happening in the industry of healthcare 
specifically as we talk about the pharmaceutical industry and the 
prescription drug bill is happening in the energy area. The energy 
industry last year spent $87 million to lobby the United States 
Congress. Now what did they get for that $87 million? They got $14.5 
billion in taxpayer support to drill for oil. We are paying ExxonMobil, 
Texaco $14.5 billion to drill for oil when energy is at a little over 
60 bucks a barrel. For their $87 million of investment, they got 
taxpayers to fork over $14.5 billion. And we pay at the pump nearly 3 
bucks a gallon, the highest price in a long time, and yet we also pay 
on April 15 with tax breaks for big oil, Texaco, ExxonMobil, Chevron, 
and all the other big oil companies, BP Amoco.
  They also got a waiver in the lost revenue from royalties, that they 
are supposed to pay about $7 billion in royalties for drilling in the 
Gulf of Mexico. We also support them with another $2 billion for 
deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. So $87 million has gotten big 
oil companies $14.5 billion in taxpayer support, passed on $7 billion 
in royalties that they own, and another $2 billion on top of that for 
deepwater drilling, a little north of $20 billion. You cannot get a 
return on your investment like that even on Wall Street, but that is 
just one area where the American people are paying for the type of 
access that the special interests have.
  There is a for sale sign here on the People's House, and for the last 
5 years that for sale sign has allowed any special interest access and 
the American people are paying for it. When the Speaker's gavel comes 
down, it is intended to open the People's House, not the auction house; 
and for the last 5 years it has been nothing but an auction house here.
  My colleague talked about the prescription drug companies. They are 
going to get, over the next 8 years, an additional $139 billion in 
profits that they would not get, a 25 percent, 28 percent increase in 
their profit margin. They spent about $173 million lobbying the United 
States Congress. They got $139 billion in additional profits. The HMOs 
and the private insurers got an additional $130 million they would not 
have seen any other way if it was not for the prescription drug bill.
  And what did our seniors get? Plans in which none of them can figure 
it out, total confusion, drugs that are being dropped, some drugs that 
are skyrocketing. When they used to pay 4 and 5 bucks, they are now 
$150, and other drugs have dropped. Absolute confusion and plans that 
are locked in for 1 year.
  All the while, what else do they get? We cannot negotiate prices just 
like Sam's Club does when they do bulk purchasing. We cannot allow our 
seniors access to Canadian and British drugs and drugs from Ireland and 
France and Germany so they can get competition from free trade and 
choice, and we cannot allow generics on the market quicker so that they 
can compete with name brand drugs. In every step of the way, that 
prescription drug bill avoided and outlawed the very principles of a 
free market, all in favor of creating a captive market for the 
prescription drug companies; and, once again, the taxpayers and the 
seniors are supporting and literally backstopping the prescription drug 
companies and HMOs and insurance companies. We taxpayers are paying for 
it.
  As my colleague said, the bill was sold here on the floor for $394 
billion. Before the ink was dry, it was reported to cost $790 billion, 
twice the actual cost. There are some in government that knew that was 
what it was going to cost. So all of the taxpayers now are going to 
have to pay $800 billion over 10 years; and the pharmaceutical 
companies, HMO companies, and private insurance companies are going to 
walk off with huge profits.
  And all the while what has happened to the American people? Energy is 
up, in the last 2 years, 78 percent. Gasoline. Health care costs are up 
58 percent. On average for a family of four, $3,600 over the last 5 
years. College costs are up 38 percent; yet we may end up cutting 
college aid.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to note that we have a for sale sign on the 
front of the lawn here at the people's Capitol, and this November this 
election should be to return that gavel to its rightful owner, the 
American people.

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