Frank Pallone: “I really believe that one of the reasons why Governor Bush has proposed this scaled-down prescription drug plan that…”

“I really believe that one of the reasons why Governor Bush has proposed this scaled-down prescription drug plan that really only addresses some of the problems for low-income people is because he has proposed using so much of the surplus for this grandiose tax cut plan, which primarily benefits the wealthy and corporate interests, and so he does not have enough money left to pay for a Medicare prescription drug program the way the Democrats have proposed. And so that has actually forced him in some ways to propose this more scaled-down version that will only help some low-income people. That is unfortunate, because if we have a surplus, and you and I both I know are worried about these estimates and whether the level of surplus that is being talked about will ever materialize, but there is certainly enough that we could provide the prescription drug program along the lines of what the Democrats have proposed. I would hate to see that not happen just because of Governor Bush's tax proposals and the tax proposals that the Republicans have put forward, which I think really do not help in any significant way the average American.”