[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10843]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     AMERICANS CAN COUNT ON THE REPUBLICANS' PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

  (Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, when Medicare was founded in 1965, Republicans 
and Democrats left drugs out of the program; but today, Republicans and 
Democrats agree we should update Medicare by covering prescription 
drugs. The difference is cost.
  An extravagant $1 trillion promise by the minority party is a promise 
they cannot afford to keep. They will break their promise to America's 
seniors because it is too expensive to maintain.
  Seniors know there is a war on. Seniors know Social Security is under 
financial pressure. They want a plan to cover drug costs for needy 
seniors, one we can afford.
  Our majority affordable program promised is one that people can count 
on. They cannot depend on a $1 trillion program that will collapse from 
its own costs. Count on the program we can afford to keep. Count on the 
Speaker's prescription drug plan.

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