Joe Barton: “I am reluctantly doing this this evening, not because of the merits of the bill. I support the merits of the bill, but I…”

“I am reluctantly doing this this evening, not because of the merits of the bill. I support the merits of the bill, but I do not support the procedure under which we are doing this and the reluctance of the other body to find a way to help pay for what we are about to do. This Congress should be taking serious steps to address our budget problems and our growing Federal debt. The President who just won reelection, 52 percent of the vote, has told America that deficit reduction will be one of his highest priorities, and I would like to have the other body begin to join this body and the President of the United States in making that a reality. Senate 2618 is a good bill. It will extend for one year additional funding for the Medicare Qualified Individual Program, better known as the QI program. This program will allow approximately 160,000 low-income beneficiaries enrolled in the program to continue to receive assistance to pay for their Medicare part B premium which is optional. That is fair and appropriate.”