[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         DEMOCRATS' PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN WOULD COST MUCH MORE

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, we have heard all about the prescription 
drug card being available this month for the most disadvantaged, but 
there has been some discussion about how much this prescription drug 
benefit costs and whose estimates are the best estimates.
  The Democrats are saying this program costs way too much money. But, 
Mr. Speaker, remember last year they introduced their own Medicare 
prescription drug benefit plan? Theirs would have cost $1 trillion. 
Luckily, we passed a more responsible yet critical bill that offers 
prescription drugs for our seniors for a lot less than what the 
Democrats proposed. Yet in the last few weeks, the Democrats have been 
complaining that the Republican plan is too expensive and that we 
should take prescription drug coverage back from our seniors.
  Let us not forget the Democrats support a candidate for President who 
has proposed a health insurance plan that would cost the Nation almost 
$1 trillion. So there it is.
  How come the Democrats complain about the cost of the prescription 
drug plan when they and their standard bearer want to spend much, much 
more?

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