[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5276]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET

  (Ms. TSONGAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. TSONGAS. Madam Speaker, my Republican colleagues have put forth 
spending proposals that they assert promise savings. But deep cuts to 
Medicare, Medicaid, and the discretionary budget really just shift 
those costs onto seniors and children. I have heard from hundreds of 
constituents urging opposition because, to quote a constituent from my 
hometown of Lowell, the impact would be ``devastating.'' This dangerous 
game has already cost private sector jobs in my district as contractors 
wait for Congress to pass a long-term budget.
  Many in this body have proven willing to compromise to solve our debt 
crisis. We have already enacted $10 billion in spending cuts as a show 
of good faith. But House Republicans continue to insist upon 
ideological policy changes that even some Senate Republicans say ``go 
too far.''
  It is time for this body to listen to the American public and reject 
ideological policies that would destroy Medicare as we know it, 
eliminate women's health services like breast and cervical cancer 
screenings, and make it easier for polluters to contaminate our 
drinking water.

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