Pete Stark: “I believe most people on both sides of the aisle know why we are spending the time of the House on this issue. This is…”

“I believe most people on both sides of the aisle know why we are spending the time of the House on this issue. This is nothing more than a cynical maneuver by the Republicans to give themselves some cover with the elderly for the massive cuts they are planning to make in Medicare and Medicaid. We have heard the Republicans charge that the Clinton administration is raiding private pensions to fund the liberal social welfare programs that were rejected by the voters last November. And we have heard how the valiant Republicans are going to come charging in on their white horses to slay this misty Clinton dragon by passing H.R. 1594 and rescue the fair elderly from this dreadful attack on their pensions. But we all know what is really going on. The Republicans are, as we speak, making plans for massive cuts in Medicare and Medicaid that will cause extensive harm to millions of senior citizens, both in their pocketbooks and in the quality of their health care. Let me tell you a little bit about what the Republicans have in store for the elderly. The House Republicans' budget resolution would require us to cut $270 billion out of the Medicare program over the next 7 years. This is a huge cut--the program would be 25 percent smaller in 2002 under this plan than it would be under current law. What this means for the elderly is that Medicare premiums and deductibles will go up, while benefits will go down.”