[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 29694]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                SUPPORT THE MEDICARE MODERNIZATION BILL

  (Mr. FOLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, what should be a celebratory week for 
America's seniors is turning into a partisan fight. In memory of my 
grandmother, I come to the floor today urging my colleagues to come 
together on this important change in Medicare to provide prescription 
drugs for the first time in our Nation's history for our seniors.
  Let me ask our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, in the 
memory of Claude Pepper, Franklin Roosevelt and others who cared so 
deeply for seniors, to put aside your partisan differences and walk 
with us in improving the most important fundamental health care program 
for seniors in our Nation's history. Discount drug cards, lower prices 
for prescription drugs, availability for new technology to help those 
who are ailing, preventive health care, diagnostic screening for 
cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This is a tremendously important 
bill for our Nation's seniors. Let us not fight about it. Let us move 
forward.
  AARP supports this bill. Yet the Democratic leadership is urging 
Members that if they vote for it, they should leave the caucus. One 
Member from California is actually resigning from AARP because she is 
so upset with their endorsement of the bill. AARP has long been known 
as the gold standard for keeping and caring for America's seniors. Let 
us not put their vision outside this building. Let us bring it in. Let 
us debate this bill but in behalf of millions of American seniors, let 
us pass this important landmark legislation this week before we go 
home.

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