[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 27857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



     REPUBLICAN BUDGET BILL IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH NEEDS OF AMERICANS

  (Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Madam Speaker, as we consider the Republican 
budget bill, foremost in our mind should be the realization that this 
bill is out of touch with the needs of millions of Americans. This bill 
provides nothing for Social Security. This bill provides nothing for 
Medicare. This bill ostensibly can hurt every single family in our 
Nation.
  Social Security has conveyed a message of hope and a measure of 
financial security for all Americans. It represents the only income for 
millions of elderly Americans all across the Nation, and yet this bill 
does not extend the life of Social Security by one single day.
  The bill fails to provide one penny for a Medicare prescription drug 
benefit. As we stand at the portal of the millennium, it is not 
acceptable that our elderly should be forced to choose between food and 
medicine.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to keep Social Security sound, 
and I urge them to keep Medicare sound and address the needs of all 
Americans.

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