William Tauzin

I want to start this discussion by laying something on the table that I think ought to be a predicate to all the discussions we have, a precedent. The first thing I think we ought to put on the table for everyone to consider is that no…

If the gentleman will let me emphasize that point, in the Medicare markup we adopted the lockbox amendment, which makes sure any savings the new Medicare reforms produce has to stay for Medicare purposes. It does not go for any other…

I want to caution, if you want to get educated on the Medicare proposal before the Congress, do not count on the newspapers or anybody else to educate yourself. Try to educate yourselves and be in touch with us. Write to us, call us, ask…

I thank the gentleman, and you made two excellent points again. One is that among the various plans that we give the seniors an option to choose are the Medisave accounts. Medisave accounts are being used now. NBC showed a film the other…

I am a member of the Committee on Commerce, and of all the speakers you heard this morning talking about the incident that occurred at the Committee on Commerce on the Medicare markup this week, I am the only person who was actually…

The Democratic Party finally came with some alternative. They finally said this week, here is what we would do. What they would do would be to cut the spending, the bleeding in the program, by only $90 billion. What that does is that just…

Well, if the tactics at the committee were bad, the tactics on the floor are worse, to pretend this was some real demonstration by real senior citizens, when this was an organized lobby group planning to disrupt the meeting. To bring…

I think Medicare is sacred to all of us here. I think the other side should be given credit that they do not want Medicare to go bankrupt, but their solution will not sell anymore. Their solution is either raise taxes some more or borrow…

The last thing we ought to do is try to scare seniors today. They have enough to worry about. We all ought to be trying to calm these fears. We ought to be talking about our debate, of course, on how to resolve it; it ought to be a good…

The status quo the gentlewoman from Connecticut was defending relies upon us deciding one day to raise taxes dramatically. That is the status quo they are defending. Liberal Democrats have no problem with that. I think most Americans do…

one of the neatest parts about our plan is that if any citizen is unhappy with the plan they chose, they can move back.

But let me tell you what the real option is, and the gentleman from Connecticut has pointed it out. The option is either fix this system, control costs, and create a better choice for Americans or else raise taxes dramatically to keep this…

Even after that 2-year period, senior citizens sign up for a year at a time, so that you choose your plan for the next year. Within that first 2-year period, you can try them all. You can see which one really meets the needs of your…

If I can, I want to go back, cross over from Medicare to Medicaid again. I want to remind you all that something happens when you get to Washington that changes you somehow. I hope the freshmen really have a great success in changing the…

I joined this revolution in full uniform and armor just a couple of months ago, but there were many conservative Democrats, as you know, that helped to make the contract a reality in this House, and in this House, and in this House in the…

Ninety percent of Americans in the USA polls say they are concerned about violence. I think 100 percent of us in this Chamber certainly ought to be concerned about the violence on television, but there are technologies for parents to use…

Mr. Chairman to enforce the long-distance restriction on the seven Bell companies, the district court approved the establishment of the so-called local access transport area or LATA system. The drawing of the LATA system is extraordinarily…

I have with me a small chart that shows the result of judge-made law when it comes to telecommunications. What we just debated on the manager's amendment was to end the system of the LATA lines, the lines on the map drawn by the judge…

This amendment deletes property rights compensation from the bill. I will say it again. It deletes property rights compensation from the bill, so that whatever one believe about wetlands management and wetlands regulation, if they believe…

Let me complete the answer, please. The academy said this is a reference decision, a scientific decision. We are not telling you you ought to regulate all these wetlands. Your amendment says regulate all them if they meet the reference…

the scientists in the study told us what they think a wetland is. Read the report carefully. This is a reference definition. We are not telling you to regulate all the wetlands.

I particularly want to pay a great debt of gratitude, I hope, on behalf of this entire House for the efforts, the long-standing efforts that have been made by my colleague and friend, the gentleman from Louisiana [Mr. Hayes], in this…

If you believe your State ought to have the flexibility to adopt its coastal zone program to the needs of your coastal zone, then you vote against the Boehlert amendment. If you like Federal mandates and new Federal EPA authorities to…

it destroys property rights provisions, eliminates risk assessment cost-benefit analysis, turns it on its head, and forces you to pay the Government to get regulated. What a beautiful amendment. Anybody that votes for this better not go…

I want to add my support to your investigation into this newest allegation of the abuse of power at EPA. Our Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs, we often call it the subcommittee to cut red…