[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16214]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       WE SHOULD CONTINUE DOWN THE PATH OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

  (Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I am glad I am coming right after that last 
1-minute. It is pure nonsense.
  This $864 billion bill that was reported out of the Committee on Ways 
and Means last night is fiscally irresponsible. It sacrifices the 
future of Social Security and also of Medicare on the altar of that 
kind of political hype from the Republicans.
  Let me read from a Republican, his comment, the gentleman from 
Delaware. ``I am not exactly sure in all of this,'' and I quote, ``how 
Medicare is going to be solved. And there is no consideration for debt 
retirement; virtually no consideration for emergency spending. This is 
all very problematical. The size of it creates some real problems.'' 
And then he goes on to say that it is a political statement.
  It is indeed a political statement. It gambles with the future of 
Social Security and it gambles with the future of Medicare. Look, that 
is not conservatism, it is fiscal radicalism. We need to continue on 
the path of fiscal responsibility.

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