Political Quotes

“we have all done it. We all make mistakes. They are unavoidable. Yesterday we learned that the White House budget made a tiny little mistake, a $750 billion ``rounding error.'' According to the President's budget, the new Medicare prescription drug benefit is now going to cost the taxpayers $1.2 trillion, not the $400 billion they told us just last year. That is quite a difference from last year when the White House budget director, the man responsible for the money, assured everybody, ``The Congressional Budget Office estimate for the prescription drug bill was and remains $395 billion.'' And lest we forget, last year during debate on the Medicare benefit, our distinguished colleague, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson), chairman of a House subcommittee on Ways and Means, ``I am pleased that the President has proposed to strengthen Medicare with a $400 billion plan which adds prescription drug coverage.'' Well, the joke is on the taxpayers and the senior citizens of America. Rather than funding $400 billion, it is a $1.2 trillion ``rounding error.'' What is worse, this mammoth new program does nothing to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. We need reimportation legislation to deal with the affordability and cost of prescription drugs. These are the same individuals who are now trying to sell Americans on their fix for Social Security.”