[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 15, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H4201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REPUBLICANS ARE HIDING THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDICARE FROM THE PUBLIC
(Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute.)
Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, before I came to Congress, I was a
newspaper editor in Louisville, Kentucky. And as an editor, my job was
to make sure that our stories revealed the truth and made things easier
to understand for our readers. Right now, the Republican majority in
Congress is editing to obscure the truth and to hide the facts from the
American people.
Ever since a Republican candidate in New York lost a special election
in a heavily Republican district because she supported the reckless GOP
plan to end Medicare, the majority in this body has been petrified
about what it might mean for their political careers if the American
people actually found out the truth, and they are doing everything they
can to hide the truth.
The Republican-controlled Franking Commission--which controls content
of mailings from congressional offices--is now dictating that any
reference to the end of Medicare be cut out from correspondence.
Whenever the word ``end'' is used, they say we have to use the word
``change.'' They won't let the truth be told. But the truth is, if you
have eliminated something, you haven't changed it. You can't change
something that has been killed. That's what the American people need to
know. That's what the Republican majority is trying to hide, but they
will not deceive the American people.
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