Tom Harkin: “For example, in Maine, I am told the Governor wants to use it for a tax cut. In Michigan, the Governor wants to use the…”

“For example, in Maine, I am told the Governor wants to use it for a tax cut. In Michigan, the Governor wants to use the settlement for college scholarships; no funds for tobacco prevention. The Nevada Governor wants it for college scholarships. New Hampshire's Governor wants the money for education; no proposal on tobacco. In New York, the Governor wants to spend 75 percent for debt relief. In South Dakota, the Governor wants money for prisoners, nothing on tobacco. In Rhode Island, the Governor wants money to cut the car tax. That is all well and good, but that is not what this is about. I say to my friends, we have a statement of policy from the Executive Office of the President which says, referring to the emergency supplemental bill, S. 554: Were the bill to be presented to the President with the Senate Committee's proposed offsets and several objectionable riders discussed below, the President's senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill. One of the provisions: A provision that would completely relinquish the Federal taxpayers' share of the Medicaid-related claims in the comprehensive State tobacco settlement without any commitment whatsoever by the States to use those funds to stop youth smoking. Federal taxpayers paid more than half, an average of 57 percent of Medicaid smoking-related expenditures.…”