House Proceeding 04-06-06 on Apr 6th, 2006 :: 2:30:08 to 2:50:08
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2:27:59 to 2:30:08( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Chris Chocola

2:29:57 to 2:30:08( Edit History Discussion )

Chris Chocola: mr. spratt: mr. chairman, in the area of health care, too, there is a major difference between us. some six or seven years ago, we got together on a bipartisan basis and agreed that every

2:30:08 to 2:30:22( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: year we would try to increase the budget of the n.i.h. such that over five years it would be doubled. we achieved that goal, and now every year, the bush administration is marching us right

2:30:08 to 2:31:09( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John M. Jr.Spratt

2:30:22 to 2:30:34( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: back down the hill. this year, in their budget submission, over five years, they have proposed short funding for public health and medical research programs at a level of $18 billion below

2:30:34 to 2:30:44( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: current services. the programs at risk range from the national institutes of health to the centers for disease control, to graduate medical education at children's hospitals to rural health. the

2:30:44 to 2:30:56( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: democratic budget resolution, by contrast, spares these programs from deep cuts and restores them fully funding them to the level of current services. i now yield eight minutes to the gentleman

2:30:56 to 2:31:09( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: from michigan, the dean of the house and the ranking member of the energy and commerce committee to discuss further the impact of these cuts and ask that he be allowed to yield the time that

2:31:09 to 2:31:18( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: is granted him. the chairman: the gentleman is recognized eight minutes. the gentleman is advised he will have to remain on his feet during that time. mr. dingell: i thank, mr. chairman. i thank

2:31:18 to 2:31:33( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: my colleague and distinguished colleague who has done such a fine job on the budget, mr. spratt. i salute him. well, we're talking about the republican budget and it does not address two pressing

2:31:19 to 2:33:53( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John D. Dingell

2:31:33 to 2:31:47( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: health care problems of peculiar and special importance to our people, amongst the other things that it does wrong. first, thanks to this republican congress, new part d of medicare program is

2:31:47 to 2:32:02( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: complicated, impossible to navigate, and the benefits confusing indeed. but they vary from plan to plan. plans can even change the drugs they cover after seniors have signed up, bait and switch,

2:32:02 to 2:32:19( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: if you please. but the seniors can't change plans for a year while the h.m.o. could do so. all too often, this confusion has resulted in seniors leaving pharmacies without their medication

2:32:19 to 2:32:32( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: or paying more than they should for medicines. pharmacists are going broke because of nonpayment or late payment by medicare. these problems and many of the others which invest part d are

2:32:32 to 2:32:47( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: in no way corrected by this budget. they're not even giving seniors enough time to sign up, and as a result, these seniors will have to pay a 7% penalty for the rest of their life for this

2:32:47 to 2:32:59( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: medicare part d. our democrat substitute would allow seniors till the end of the year to identify and to sign up for a plan that meets their needs. it also enables citizens to know that h.m.o.'s

2:32:59 to 2:33:11( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: and private plan bureaucrats are not going to be able to continue bait and switch, stopping coverage for drugs that a senior's doctor has prescribed and that were covered when the senior signed

2:33:11 to 2:33:26( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: up. second, the republican budget does not even try to protect the most vital relationship the senior has, that which they have with their doctor. even though doctors in medicare are facing

2:33:26 to 2:33:39( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: deep cuts in their payments, the republican budget does nothing to stop this. not paying adequately for a physician's services is going to undermine our entire health care and medicare program.

2:33:39 to 2:33:53( Edit History Discussion )

John D. Dingell: the democratic substitute would not permit that to happen. it is another reason for voting with us. republicans are content to permit traditional medicare to erode while steering unneeded

2:33:53 to 2:34:11( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: billions of dollars to their h.m.o. and insurance company cronies. democrats want to protect medicare as we know it and spend the money to help seniors and those with disabilities, not to shower

2:33:53 to 2:36:44( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Stephanie Herseth

2:34:11 to 2:34:21( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: it unneeded upon greedy health maintenance organizations and others who deserve no assistance. i now yield two minutes to my distinguished colleague and friend, the honorable stephanie herseth

2:34:21 to 2:34:30( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: from south dakota. the chairman: the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes, from south dakota. ms. herseth: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman from michigan for his leadership as well

2:34:30 to 2:34:41( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: as the gentleman from south carolina for his. as i travel through the state of south dakota, the number one issue my constituents raise with me is health care. for thousands of families in my

2:34:41 to 2:34:52( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: state and millions across the country, health care is their top priority. but this budget not only fails to make health care a national priority, it makes the crisis worse. this budget ignores

2:34:52 to 2:35:04( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: the 46 million americans without health insurance and actually eliminates the transitional medicaid assistance program that encourages families to leave welfare for the work force. this budget punishes

2:35:04 to 2:35:12( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: families trying to create a better future by choosing work over welfare much the budget cuts funding for health research at the n.i.h. and disease prevent at c.d.c. it eliminates the

2:35:12 to 2:35:23( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: national children's study to improve the health and well-being of children. research that will pay dividends in the fuhr. we ask the american people to recognize the cost savings that

2:35:23 to 2:35:30( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: comes with prevention. that this budget fails to make disease prevention and the research that leads to cures a priority. this budget cuts urban indian health centers which serve native

2:35:30 to 2:35:41( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: americans across the country including in a number of communities in south dakota and has already been noted it cuts funding for veterans health care by $6 billion over the next five years.

2:35:41 to 2:35:51( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: and it shifts the burden of health care costs for our troops and their families from a grateful nation to the very families with loved ones serving in iraq and afghanistan. this budget is particularly

2:35:51 to 2:35:59( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: hard on seniors. as mr. dingell already noted, by allowing for a cut to physicians under medicare, it will make it harder for millions of seniors to find quality health care services, particularly

2:35:59 to 2:36:08( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: in already underserved areas. and for the millions of seniors struggling to navigate the medicare drug benefit bureaucracy, this budget does absolutely nothing to solve that problem. for

2:36:08 to 2:36:17( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: seniors forced to deal with the poor planning and implementation of c.m.s. and the private drug plans, this budget does nothing for them or the community pharmacists who have shoulder most of

2:36:17 to 2:36:33( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: the burden. congress can do bert. we owe it to the american people to do bert. i urge my colleagues to demand that the committee either bring us a new budget, one that makes health care a national

2:36:33 to 2:36:44( Edit History Discussion )

Stephanie Herseth: priority, or better yet, support the democratic substitute which does just that. i yield back. mr. dingell: i yield now to the distinguished gentlewoman from california, my dear friend,

2:36:44 to 2:36:55( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: mrs. lois capps. the chairman: two minutes to the gentlelady from california. mrs. capps: i thank my colleague for yielding. mr. speaker, frankly i'm getting really tired of hearing proponents

2:36:44 to 2:39:09( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Lois Capps

2:36:55 to 2:37:04( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: of this budget argue that drastic cuts to health care are a result of difficult choices. it's quite apparent that the choice being made is a simple one. further tax breaks for the wealthy instead

2:37:04 to 2:37:17( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: of real investment into the health care needs of our nation. the most urgent needs as our colleague from south dakota exprissed in her state, and also -- expressed in her state, and also in

2:37:17 to 2:37:29( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: mine. the most urgent need that our constituents want us to address. in their time of need at home. at such a time of remarkable breakthroughs for example in medical research, it is appalling that this budget

2:37:29 to 2:37:41( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: cuts 18 of the 19 institutes of the national institutes of health. again, proponents of this budget will argue that in the late 1990's we doubled n.i.h.'s budget and it's a good thing we did. but that

2:37:41 to 2:37:56( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: just shows how little is understood about scientific research. how much they are minimizing our country's need for true investment. if this budget passes, the n.i.h. will have 13% less funding

2:37:56 to 2:38:05( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: than it did in 2003. that will mean that we will take giant steps backward in our efforts to eliminate cancer deaths by 2015. a doable goal if we were to stay on track with n.i.h. it means

2:38:05 to 2:38:18( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: our efforts will be hampered to combat the number one killer in this country, heart disease. it means that our ability to remain globally competitive in the development of new treatments

2:38:18 to 2:38:32( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: is threatened. not only is our health research infrastructure under attack by this budget, so are our health professionals. funding for title 7 health professionals training is eliminated

2:38:32 to 2:38:46( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: in this budget, despite our nursing shortage crisis, funding for nurse work force training programs is actually less today than it was 30 years ago. mr. speaker, our national security

2:38:46 to 2:38:59( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: is very much dependent upon our ability to sustain a healthy and viable work force to respond to emergency situations. this budget ignores those needs. i urge my colleagues to oppose this illogical

2:38:59 to 2:39:09( Edit History Discussion )

Lois Capps: and immoral budget. i yield back. the chairman: the gentleman from michigan has one minute remaining. mr. dingell: mr. chairman, i yield that back with great gratitude and appreciation to

2:39:09 to 2:39:15( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: my distinguished friend from something -- south carolina. the chairman: the gentleman from iowa. mr. nussle: mr. chairman, i yield two minutes to a member of the committee, the distinguished

2:39:09 to 2:41:42( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Mario Diaz-Balart

2:39:15 to 2:39:29( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: gentleman from florida. the chairman: the gentleman from florida is recognized for two minutes. mr. diaz-balart: thank you, mr. chairman. the budget committee chairman today we have heard it

2:39:29 to 2:39:44( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: has mentioned a number of times something that's captured in this budget. reducing waste, fraud, and abuse. our friends from the democratic side also have a consistent theme -- spend more

2:39:44 to 2:39:59( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: money. regardless if a lot of it is wasted. but you see, mr. chairman, billions of dollars are lost each year to waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. not only does waste, fraud,

2:39:59 to 2:40:12( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: and abuse steal from the american taxpayers, mr. chairman, it also burdens those who rely on the government for their services. unfortunately, our friends on the other side of the aisle, they

2:40:12 to 2:40:31( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: are consistent in again spend more money. without measuring efficiency or effectiveness of the programs. it's evident obviously that some on the far left measure success of government programs

2:40:31 to 2:40:43( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: by the level of spending not on results. again, just spend more money, no matter what. we cannot excuse programs that through waste, fraud, and abuse aren't cheating the taxpayers out of billions

2:40:43 to 2:40:56( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: of dollars of their hard-earned money. we owe it to the people that end us here to washington -- that send us here to washington to ensure that their hard-earned tax dollars are protected through

2:40:56 to 2:41:08( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: good oversight, performance evaluation, and a sensible -- and sensible funding decisions. while the far left is endlessly attempting to increase taxes without any form of accountability and spend

2:41:08 to 2:41:16( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: more money. i urge you to support the republican budget that helps make our government programs more efficient, reducing waste, fraud, and abuse while funding our nation's priorities. thank

2:41:16 to 2:41:27( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: you, mr. chairman. the chairman: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. spratt: i yield myself one minute. the chairman: the gentleman

2:41:27 to 2:41:42( Edit History Discussion )

Mario Diaz-Balart: is recognized. mr. spratt: budgets are moral documents and one measure of a budget is how it treats the least among us. the house republican budget resolution severely weakens the safety

2:41:42 to 2:41:56( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: net for the least among us. cutting income security programs by some $14.9 billion over five years below the level of current services. among the programs cut, actually totally eliminated,

2:41:42 to 2:42:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: John M. Jr.Spratt

2:41:56 to 2:42:12( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: would be the commodity supplemental food program which provide nutritious food to 420,000 elderly people every month and to 50,000 mothers. it would be cut. hope 6 would be eliminated for

2:42:12 to 2:42:31( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: repairing and refurbishing public housing. supportive housing for the disabled would be slashed by 50%. housing for the elderly cut by 26%. and in addition $4 billion in reconciled spending

2:42:31 to 2:42:41( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: cuts. tanf, s.s.i., unemployment insurance the programs within their jurisdiction. here to discuss further the implications and consequences for families and communities is the senior member

2:42:41 to 2:42:55( Edit History Discussion )

John M. Jr.Spratt: from new york, the ranking member of the ways and means committee, mr. rangel, to whom i yield eight minutes. the chairman: the gentleman from new york is recognized for eight minutes. mr. rangel: i ask

2:42:55 to 2:43:10( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the chairman: without objection. mr. rangel: let me first thank mr. nussle and the republican leadership for bringing up an important bill

2:42:55 to 2:47:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Charles B. Rangel

2:43:10 to 2:43:27( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: and allowing us to discuss it during the daytime hours. it is so unusual that i just wonder when the vote's going to take place, but i do hope it's in time for america to see how we work. also

2:43:27 to 2:43:37( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: i want to thank mr. nussle for giving me the opportunity to explain some of the language that he's been using because when he talks about these entitlements -- he's not leaving me, i know. when

2:43:37 to 2:43:54( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: he talks about entitlements, there's so many people that get angry and they have to be against entitlements, too. they have to really be angry when america spending such a large amount on

2:43:54 to 2:44:06( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: our budgets on entitlements. but it's strange. they talk about entitlements and we talk about people in need. they talk about entitlements, we talk about the social security system. that

2:44:06 to 2:44:18( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: has given so much self-esteem and pride for older people. those who became disabled. and things that we like to do. don't cry. don't just bring us these doggone private accounts. don't send it to

2:44:18 to 2:44:31( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: commissions. bring it on the floor. take it to the american people. ask the older people and their kids and grandkids how do you measure self-esteem and dignity? entitlements. entitlements.

2:44:31 to 2:44:46( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: what does it mean? who are the least among us? is it the poor? and if you're poor and you're sick, is it asking too much in this great country of riches to say you're entitled to health

2:44:46 to 2:44:59( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: care? and if you're older and you want to get a prescription drug , is it wrong to -- for you to be outraged because we believe that they are entitled? how about a kid from a neighborhood,

2:44:59 to 2:45:11( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: the most of us here came from families that never got a college education, were we entitled to an education? no. we were lucky we were able to get it. but i think that now that our nation's

2:45:11 to 2:45:22( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: at war, a war that we shouldn't be in, i think that our nation's wart in terms of competition with foreign countries that our people should be entitled to educations. they should be entitled

2:45:22 to 2:45:35( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: to compete. they should be entitled to self-esteem and every american should have an education and a decent place to live and health care. but, no, we can't afford it. we can't afford

2:45:35 to 2:45:49( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: it once because $400 billion for iraq, we can afford it for them. they will be entitled decent health and decent housing and anything else. and we are not going to leave there until they get it. and

2:45:49 to 2:46:04( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: they'll have the victory. and we'll have the deficit. and so what i'm saying is that let's not talk entitlement. if you really want to kill the education programs, the health programs for

2:46:04 to 2:46:17( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: the aged and for the young let's call it what it is. it's called social security. say it with me. social security. it's called medicaid. it's called medicare. and these are programs for the disadvantaged.

2:46:17 to 2:46:29( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: now, if you can't afford it because you have some friends that are in the highest income -- and i have not received one letter from any of them, and i don't think those from the rural areas,

2:46:29 to 2:46:42( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: there are too many either, they may be included on the contributors list, but they haven't called and asked for this tax cut. they haven't called and asked for it. but the people that are out

2:46:42 to 2:46:53( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: there, when we get back home during this work force -- this work period, they'll thank us for fighting to save what they think, what they used to be entitled to. i yield back -- i reserve

2:46:53 to 2:47:05( Edit History Discussion )

Charles B. Rangel: the balance of my time. the chairman: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from iowa. mr. nussle: i reserve my time. the chairman: the gentleman continues to reserve.

2:47:05 to 2:47:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: the gentleman from south carolina. mr. rangel: i'd like to yield two minutes to the ranking member -- the chairman: the gentleman yielded back his time. would the gentleman from south carolina

2:47:05 to 2:51:19( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jim McDermott

2:47:17 to 2:47:27( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: like to reallocate? mr. spratt: i yield the gentleman two minutes. mr. rangel: may i ask, mr. speaker, how much time did i have? the chairman: had you four minutes remaining under the prior

2:47:27 to 2:47:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: request. and then you yielded back the time. you reserved the time for the side but not for yourself. mr. spratt: i yield the gentleman four minutes in lieu of the gentleman from washington,

2:47:34 to 2:47:42( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: i yield the gentleman from new york four minutes. the chairman: the gentleman from new york is recognized for four minutes. mr. rangel: i would like to yield two minutes to the outstanding

2:47:42 to 2:47:54( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: gentleman from washington, the ways and means committee. the chairman: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. mcdermott: i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the

2:47:54 to 2:48:08( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: chairman: without objection. mr. mcdermott: mr. speaker, when i read through this budget, they are back again, folks. they are back again. just a few months ago the republicans called a

2:48:08 to 2:48:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: final vote on the budget bill that slashed funding for child support enforcement, foster care, student loans and health care coverage for low -- low-income families. today the nightmare continues,

2:48:17 to 2:48:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: they are back again doing the same thing within three months. republicans propose another round of pain for americans already suffering. the committee on which i serve is required by the congress

2:48:30 to 2:48:41( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: to cut $4 billion from the budget. now, it will come out of my subcommittee, the one i'm the ranking member on, because that's where the children are. and that's where the weak and the old and

2:48:41 to 2:48:51( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: the sick are. they are not going to take it away from the taxpayers. they are going to take it away from the poor and the weak. when the republicans send the high income earners to the trough for

2:48:51 to 2:49:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: more tax cut, they will starve the federal programs to help the poor. now, i know it's lent, so i'm sure this is a faith-based initiative we have here, and the republicans certainly understand

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Jim McDermott: the idea of sacrifice. this budget sacrifices 1/3 of the social service block grant, which funds assistance for abused kids, childcare for working families, and vital services for the disabled

2:49:20 to 2:49:36( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: and the seniors in this country. i asked the rules committee to allow an amendment to restore these cuts, but the republicans said no. mr. speaker, why won't you allow this house to actually

2:49:36 to 2:49:49( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: vote on slashing programs to help the sick and the poor? now, i know some key republicans have left, but the fix is still in in this joint. the republican congress will rubber stamp the

2:49:49 to 2:50:08( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: bush agenda and provide for those who need it least. it's lent, and the republican majority's ready to sacrifice common sense, common decency, and common dreams. the republicans' budget sacrifices

2:50:08 to 2:50:18( Edit History Discussion )

Jim McDermott: morality and a tax holiday for the rich, for the 1%, the party of the 1% is in charge in this house. only the 1% at the top matters. they're back, mr. speaker, and the republican budget is no aberration,