[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            NINETEEN DAYS UNTIL BUSH RX DRUG TAX TAKES PLACE

  (Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, when are House Republicans going to 
stop being a rubber stamp for President Bush and join us in being on 
the side of seniors and the disabled instead of the pharmaceutical 
companies?
  House Republicans don't have too much time left to make the right 
decision. As this calendar shows, Congress has only 19 days left to act 
on behalf of millions of American senior citizens who have still not 
chosen a drug plan. Despite a multimillion-dollar campaign and months 
of heavy promotion by the administration, only 8 million uninsured 
Medicare beneficiaries have voluntarily signed up so far for a private 
drug plan, leaving 14 million seniors still without any drug coverage.
  Well, some of these seniors have simply determined that the new 
prescription drug plan will not help them and their prescription drug 
bills. Others are still navigating through dozens of different plans 
hoping to find one that will help them. House Republicans should not 
add to this pressure by supporting the President's unreasonable May 15 
deadline.
  House Republicans should join the Democrats in extending the deadline 
until the end of the year. As we mark off another day, the countdown 
continues.

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