Political Quotes

“addressing the crisis in Medicare by preventing the Part A trust fund from going bankrupt may be the most important and the most difficult challenge for this Congress. Mr. Speaker, Medicare is part of a social compact we have with America's seniors. We in Congress serve as fiduciaries for this program, charged with the ultimate responsibility for its solvency. This spring the Medicare board of trustees, including three members of the Clinton Cabinet, reported that Medicare will start running a deficit next year, and will be broke by the year 2002. Medicare will be broke in 7 years. Since then, we have been inundated with speculation on why this crisis happened, whose fault it is, and even whether the crisis is for real. Frankly, Mr. Speaker, sometimes in this debate there has been more heat than light. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the Committee on Ways and Means, I have been seeking a legislative solution to the Medicare crisis which simplifies and strengthens the program, while preserving it for future generations. Congress must find this solution quickly and get it right, or we will leave the public to face draconian budget cuts for seniors, or punitive tax increases for working families.”