[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8649]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HOUSE REPUBLICANS CHOOSE TO PENALIZE CASH-STRAPPED SENIORS

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, say it isn't so. House Republicans are 
ready to penalize millions of American seniors who did not sign up for 
a prescription drug plan by that arbitrary May 15 deadline. Congress 
should have extended that deadline to give seniors more time to pick 
the right plan for both their health and their pocketbook.
  House Republicans expected seniors to choose a plan by May 15 even 
though they knew seniors were receiving incomplete and incorrect 
information from the Bush administration. An investigation by GAO 
concluded that the CMS was giving out wrong information to seniors 60 
percent of the time.
  You would think that Washington Republicans would not start 
penalizing seniors with the Bush prescription drug tax until the 
administration began giving out accurate information. But no, they 
chose instead to force seniors into a plan by midnight on May 15 or 
face the Bush prescription drug tax that will remain with them for the 
rest of their lives.
  House Republicans and the President who the Congressional Black 
Caucus called on had a chance to help seniors and they didn't. Congress 
should have extended the deadline to give seniors more time. They still 
can. I call on them to do so.
  Bring the Congressional Black Caucus bill to the floor and pass it.

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