Bart Stupak: “Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Solomon substitute to House Concurrent Resolution 218 and in support of…”

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the Solomon substitute to House Concurrent Resolution 218 and in support of the concurrent resolution. Since I have arrived in Congress, the message has been consistent: With precious few dollars to go around, we must pay for programs that have a proven track record of working, and we must continue to invest in the American people. Both the Solomon and the Kasich substitute amendments fail this test. The Solomon substitute guts assistance for seniors by cutting the valuable Senior Community Service Employment Program as well as by cutting Medicare reimbursements to hospitals for health care and lab services. If you represent a rural community heavily populated by seniors, this alone should convince you to vote 'no.' Rural health care facilities that are disproportionately dependent on Medicare would be big losers under this Solomon provision. But the slash-and-burn tactics do not stop with our seniors. The Solomon substitute hurts young adults by slashing education assistance in the form of guaranteed student loans and health professional education subsidies. This is not frivolous spending, this is investment in our future. These are programs that invest in our people, both young and old. These are programs that need and deserve our support.”