John W. Olver: “I strongly support the Obey amendment. The Republican leadership wants America to believe that adding a prescription…”

“I strongly support the Obey amendment. The Republican leadership wants America to believe that adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare is one of their top priorities. That simply is untrue. They have done nothing to seriously address prescription drug prices for citizens. Many of the 13 million senior citizens who have no insurance coverage for prescription drugs are forced to choose between food and medicine, yet the Republican leadership has just pushed a $200 billion tax giveaway for the super rich through the House. More than half of their reckless tax giveaway is available to only a few thousand of the wealthiest families out of more than 60 million families in America. We should put an end to these giveaways until Congress enacts a universal voluntary prescription drug benefit for all Americans who are eligible for Medicare. Senior citizens' lives are at risk when they cannot afford prescription drugs that they need, yet pharmaceutical companies and their lobbying machine have kept this Congress from enacting a prescription drug benefit. But, Mr. Chairman, this debate does tell America what Republican priorities really are: Tax cuts for the super-rich, a few, before prescription drugs for the 13 million American senior citizens who cannot afford either the out-of-pocket costs or the insurance for drug coverage. It is the Republican majority who have created the so-called class warfare that the gentleman from Illinois speaks about.”