Frank Pallone: “this evening, as I have so many times, I would like to talk about the need for a Medicare prescription drug program. I…”

“this evening, as I have so many times, I would like to talk about the need for a Medicare prescription drug program. I have to say that I will be partisan this evening. I know some of my Democratic colleagues will be joining me, because I believe very strongly that the only reason that we do not have a Medicare prescription drug plan is because of the opposition of the Republican leadership. I have to say that I have been very disturbed to see that the Republican presidential candidate, George W. Bush, Governor Bush, has now come up with a proposal to deal with the problem that seniors face with prescription drugs, but it is really no different than the same plan that we have been hearing over and over again by the Republican leadership in this House that does not provide a prescription drug benefit under Medicare but rather simply tries to provide some sort of government subsidy, primarily for low-income people, that I believe will never succeed because essentially it is not practical. It is not under the rubric of Medicare because the Republicans traditionally and now have opposed Medicare and do not want to see it expanded to include a prescription drug benefit.”