Mike Levin: “I hope that everyone who was not here today, our colleagues, will read the words in the Congressional Record and…”

“I hope that everyone who was not here today, our colleagues, will read the words in the Congressional Record and understand where the two parties are coming from. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) has made clear that what he wants to do is to make sure that prescription drugs is not an entitlement. So, therefore, he wants to means test for those earning $60,000 and above. We must make clear that the logic is it will be reduced from 60 to 50, to 40. That will erode the Nation of an entitlement, if you are consistent. So this is not a slippery slope. This is a sure path to destroy the prescription drug benefit as an entitlement. You have made that pretty clear. The logic leads to no conclusion but that. Then if you want to erode prescription drugs as an entitlement, the next logical step is to do the same for Medicare, if you are logical. Then I am totally confused by the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Musgrave) who says that we do not want to give this benefit to the wealthy. $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 is wealthy? And I would like to know where the people who have spoken for this motion were with the child credit vote, where we were talking about $15,000, $20,000. My guess is that the gentleman who is in support of this voted against it.”