Doc Hastings: “Yesterday, I witnessed, as did all of us, the jubilation of my friends, the Republican majority, in passing the tax cut…”

“Yesterday, I witnessed, as did all of us, the jubilation of my friends, the Republican majority, in passing the tax cut measure that had been advocated as tax reform for a substantial period of time, but, finally, they did admit that it was a tax cut. I rise here today just to lay down a marker. I have said, as have many of my colleagues, that what we witnessed is the beginning of what ultimately will allow for us to address the entitlements in this country. Many of us know that the deficit that the tax cuts create are going to allow, some time during the course of next year or shortly after the election, us to begin discussing Medicare and Medicaid. I think that is a mistake, and I want that to be recognized. ____________________”