[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19706]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        THE SURPLUS AND MEDICARE

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, this week we have had some interesting 
events. We were treated to a video coverage of Mr. Bush, Governor Bush, 
who is running for the Presidency, who was saying what a wonderful set 
of cuts were made in 1997 on Medicare, the Gingrich proposal to produce 
$270 billion that could be used for $270 billion worth of tax cuts.
  Now we have the majority leader talking here about the marriage tax 
penalty. Why did they not do it in 1997? Well, they had some other rich 
folks they wanted to take care of before they got to the middle class 
folks in this country.
  Tomorrow in the Committee on Ways and Means, for the third time, we 
are going to go back and shovel money back into the Medicare plan that 
was taken out in 1997. They are going to throw $40 billion in there 
tomorrow to fill the hole they dug for themselves in 1997. If you think 
that is silly, where is something on prescription drugs?
  Who is driving this bus, Mr. Speaker?

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