Robert Weygand: “I offered the amendment, I offered the budget amendment in the committee that actually would provide for the…”

“I offered the amendment, I offered the budget amendment in the committee that actually would provide for the prescription drug benefit. Nowhere in our amendment, nowhere in our resolution, did we require this program to begin in 2003. My dear colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), talked about that this would not start for another couple of years. That is not the truth. The Democratic amendment, the proposal that we put forth, would simply instruct the Committee on Ways and Means to begin immediately to provide a $40 billion benefit for prescription drugs for our seniors. What came out was a plan that I referred to here as the Bentsen plan that he referred to earlier. This chart that I show right here is the Republican plan for prescription drugs. It was mushy, as our ranking member said. It had nothing to it, no substance whatsoever. They proposed a plan that did nothing for prescription drugs. Back in Rhode Island where I come from, many seniors who have worked all their lives are facing now $5,000, $6,000, $7,000 and even $8,000 a year with prescription drug costs.”