Maurice Hinchey: “Mr. Chairman, there has been much discussion about the new Republican budget and about how moderate it is, but in fact…”

“Mr. Chairman, there has been much discussion about the new Republican budget and about how moderate it is, but in fact this budget is in most ways as harsh as the budget that was proposed by the Republicans last year, and which the American public said to the President of the United States, 60 percent of them, veto this budget because it does not treat seniors well. It hurts seniors, it hurts education, it hurts the environment and it hurts those who are in nursing homes. The plain truth is that under the Republican Medicare plan, this time around, deja vu all over again, seniors end up paying more and getting less. In the end, the worst fear of all is that seniors are going to be left with a second-rate health care system. Rural hospitals are in danger of closing. Hospitals in my district came to see me in the last budget debate about their concern and their inability to be able to provide services. The Republican proposal cuts Medicare by $168 billion.”