[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            MEDICARE FUNDING

  (Mr. WICKER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WICKER. Madam Speaker, Vice President Al Gore announced his 
Presidential candidacy yesterday, and in the speech he said, and I 
quote, ``I will make sure that Medicare is never weakened, never 
looted, never taken away.''
  How ironic to hear Mr. Gore speak those words at a time when this 
administration is refusing to spend the funds authorized by Congress to 
ensure the solvency of the Medicare program.
  The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 provided the money to safeguard the 
health care needs of our Nation's seniors well into the 21st century. 
Yet, the Clinton-Gore administration is shortchanging Medicare by $20 
billion. Let me repeat that. This administration is shortchanging 
Medicare by $20 billion. This underfunding is creating serious problems 
in the delivery of health services to the nearly 40 million elderly and 
disabled Americans who depend on Medicare.
  The Vice President could make good on his campaign rhetoric and avert 
a major health care crisis by persuading the bureaucracy at President 
Clinton's Health Care Financing Administration to quit shortchanging 
Medicare and restore the funding to the levels authorized by Congress.

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