Mike Levin: “I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), another distinguished member of our committee.…”

“I now yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), another distinguished member of our committee. {time} 1545 (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by being very clear. I support the ABLE Act itself. It is a compassionate bill that seeks to expand the common good by providing tax-free savings accounts for disabled Americans. If we were voting on that bill today, I would strongly support it. But the ABLE Act isn't the issue here. The issue is how we are going to pay for it. And the proposal we are considering today is just one that jeopardizes the future of our safety net. Newt Gingrich talked about wanting to have Medicare wither on the vine. That has always been the desire of the Republicans. So today we are setting out on an unprecedented and dangerous course in the funding of this bill. In a last-minute development, the Congress is now considering using cuts to Medicare to offset the cost of this legislation, taking away from the old people and giving it to these folks. That is their idea of a balanced act. There has been no serious debate. There has never been a hearing and no thoughtful discussion of the implications of this proposal. If we vote to make these cuts, we will take the first step down a slippery slope that directly undermines the social safety net.…”