[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4881]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      THE COOPER-WOLF SAFE COMMISSION ACT: BIPARTISANSHIP REQUIRED

  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, last week the annual Medicare trustees report 
concluded that consideration of reforms to ensure the financial 
security of Medicare must occur in the near future. The report states, 
``The sooner the solutions are enacted, the more flexible and gradual 
they can be.'' As lawmakers, we are obligated, on economic and moral 
grounds, to tackle this enormous issue.
  Newspaper headlines in the days following the release of the report 
say as follows, ``Should political stalemate end, entitlement solution 
possible''; ``Entitlement reform cannot wait on politics''; ``Budget 
experts left and right urge action on entitlements.''
  Every day that the Congress doesn't act, nor the administration, we 
miss an opportunity for our children and our grandchildren to get this 
country moving. Congressman Cooper and I have a bill called the SAFE 
Commission. It's a bipartisan bill.
  I am also, Mr. Speaker, disappointed that Secretary Paulson has 
failed to address this issue. He said he feels like he is playing 
solitaire. Secretary Paulson, there are 74 cosponsors in the House, 40 
Republicans, 34 Democrats that are waiting for you to do something. 
Secretary Paulson, if you leave this administration with failing to do 
that, you will regret it.

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