[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 25446]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                ISSUE IS WHAT ARE WE SPENDING MONEY ON?

  (Mr. TURNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I think it is apparent to all of us that the 
question is not how much is enough. We are already spending more than 
we ought to be. The majority voted to spend $645 billion when you raise 
the caps. The President did not ask us but for $637 billion.
  The issue is what are we spending the money on? That is why we are 
here. That is what we are arguing about.
  The truth of the matter is most of us on this side of the aisle want 
to spend more money on our rural hospitals and our health care 
providers and less money on the insurance company HMOs than the 
Republicans have put in the bill. And the truth of the matter, even 
Senator John McCain pointed out that there is $21 billion in this 
legislation that is just pure pork.
  Every newspaper in the country has been editorializing on the fact 
that the majority has stuffed this bill with pork for partisan purposes 
to help folks that are in tough races.
  So let us get the pork out, and let us save our rural hospitals that 
are about to close in my district. Let us increase the reimbursements 
to our health care providers. And let us not give the lion's share to 
the big insurance companies.

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