[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 22]
[House]
[Page 29981]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           IN OPPOSITION TO LATEST NEW GOVERNMENT ENTITLEMENT

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, earlier this week I came to the House floor 
to announce my opposition to the largest new entitlement since 1965, 
the Medicare prescription drug bill that we will consider this week. As 
my voice has weakened, strong voices in opposition have emerged, 
including the venerable Heritage Foundation which has been a beacon of 
limited government for over three decades. And today, the editorial 
page of the Wall Street Journal in a piece entitled ``Entitlements Are 
Forever'' makes a powerful case that Congress should reconsider before 
we create this massive new government entitlement. The Wall Street 
Journal says the GOP's Medicare bill trades certain spending for 
speculative reform. The bottom line is that the bill would add a 
universal drug entitlement to a largely unreformed Medicare program and 
warns of fiscal disaster. They conclude that Republicans are offering 
the certainty of trillions in new entitlements in return for a mere 
promise of future reform and that is too expensive a gamble for 
principled conservatives to support.
  With my very last breath, I would say, ``I agree.'' Oppose the 
Medicare prescription drug entitlement.

                          ____________________