Rosa DeLauro

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, we all know that Newt Gingrich has a doctorate in history but over the past few days he may have earned a doctorate in revisionist history as well. The Speaker has tried to blame President Clinton for the Government shutdown but he has been planning this for months. Just look at what he said in April and in September. In April: ``The President will veto a number of things and we'll then put them all on the debt ceiling and then he'll decide how big a crisis he wants.'' In September: ``I don't care what the price is. I don't care if we have no executive offices and no bonds for 30 days, not at this time.'' ``I don't care.'' That is what Speaker Gingrich says. Well, the President does care. He cares about our seniors, he cares about our students, and he cares about our environment. That is why he will not accept this budgetary blackmail. Madam Speaker, I say to the Speaker, if you want the President to sign your budget, do not rewrite history, rewrite your budget.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, we all know that Speaker Gingrich holds a doctorate in history, but over the weekend he may have earned a doctorate in revisionist history as well. Mr. Gingrich spend the weekend trying to blame President Clinton for this budget impasse. If we take a quick review of history, however, recent history, it reveals the true culprit is Newt Gingrich himself. Since April Speaker Gingrich has been threatening to shut down the government and throw the country into default. Quite frankly, he is the only person that has talked about shutting the government down. But now the day of reckoning has arrived and the Speaker has developed a very serious case of cold feet, so he is desperately trying to blame the President. The fact remains that it is the Speaker who put this blackmail scheme into motion months ago. Take a look at what Speaker Gingrich was saying in April. He said the President will veto a number of things and we will then put them all on this debt ceiling that everyone is talking about, and then we will decide how big a crisis that he wants, quoting the Washington Times April 3, 1995. [[Page H 12161]] In September it was reported that Speaker gingrich was at it again, continuing his threats. And he says, and I quote, ``I don't care what the price is. I don't care if we have no executive offices and no bonds for 30 days, not at this time.'' Again the quote. ``I don't care what the price is.'' That says it all, does it not? Well, Speaker Gingrich may not care what the price is because he is not the one who is going to be asked to pay. The price of a government shutdown and government default will fall squarely on the shoulders of middle class families in this Nation. When the Speaker gets his wish and the government shuts down, the Speaker will keep his job, he will keep his pay, but over 800,000 Federal workers will not. When the government defaults on its financial obligations, again the Speaker will have his book royalties to cushion that blow, but millions of middle class families will pay the price in higher mortgage payments, in higher car payments, and in higher credit card payments. The blame for this manufactured crisis should fall squarely on the shoulders of Newt Gingrich and not on the shoulders of middle class families in this country. Mr. Speaker, the President is right to say no to a budget that calls for higher Medicare payments for seniors. As a matter of fact, on January 1, it will be a 25 percent increase for this Nation's seniors, higher college tuitions for students and their parents, and higher taxes for working middle-class families. This is not an agenda that the American people support; and, in fact, it appears the public never did support this kind of agenda. Mr. Speaker, for months Republicans have been promoting their Contract With America by saying that more than 60 percent of the American public supported its policies. However, we find out from last Friday that they had a political consultant whose name is Frank Luntz, and he claimed he tested all of these policies. In fact, what he did, and he was forced to admit this last week, that he actually only polled and talked to the American public about slogans. About 10 slogans. So it turns out that the Gingrich revolution is built on the 10 most popular slogans that the Republicans could find. It had nothing to do with programs. There was no testing of how Americans would feel about cutting $270 billion from Medicare, of increasing the payments for senior citizens and cutting student loans. It is no wonder that the bumper sticker government of the new majority has worn thin with the American public. All the sloganeering will not hide the devastating cuts to seniors, to students and to middle class families in this country. And, in fact, what is happening today is the more that the American public understands the nature of this program, the more they did like the Gingrich revolution. As a matter of fact, on Friday, in USA Today, public opposition to the Contract With America was affirmed. Sixty percent of those polled want President Clinton to veto the Republican budget as it stands. More specifically, 75 percent oppose the GOP's Medicare cuts and 74 percent oppose the GOP's student loan cuts. Mr. Speaker, let me just say that the Republicans have lost public support for these policies, so now what they have done is resorted to blackmailing the President to get him to sign this extreme budget. That is what this is all about. But I will tell my colleagues that the President is standing with the American people in opposition to these policies. To my Republican colleagues I say, if they want the President to sign their budget, make changes, do not make threats. If they want him to sign the budget, lessen the blow to senior citizens, to our children and to middle class families. The President wants to work with the Republicans, Democrats in this House want to work with them, but we will not be blackmailed into accepting a budget that the American people oppose. Instead of rewriting history, please, I say to my Republican colleagues, rewrite your budget, do not hold a gun to the President's head, particularly do not hold a gun and do not hold the American people hostage in this next 24 hours.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I stand in opposition to this motion, and I ask the Republican leadership in this House to stop playing games with our country's financial future and send the President a clean bill that he can sign. Since April, Speaker Gingrich has been threatening to throw our Government into default if he did not get his way on the budget, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the American public is opposed to the Republican budget that cuts Medicare, cuts education, and cuts the environment. Take a look at what Speaker Gingrich was saying in April: The President, and I quote: will veto a number of things and we'll then put them all on the debt ceiling, and then he'll decide how big a crisis he wants. Then in September Speaker Gingrich was at it again, continuing his threats, and he said: I don't care what the price is. I don't care if we have no executive offices and no bonds for 30 days, not at this time. ``I don't care what the price is.'' That says it all; does not it? It is the casual irresponsibility of this Speaker of the House of Representatives that tonight puts our country on the brink of default for the first time in this Nation's history. Send the President a clean debt limit bill.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, a continuing resolution, as my colleague from Texas said, should be a stopgap spending measure. It should not be an opportunity for extremists within the Republican Party to raise the Medicare premiums. That is what has been done here. This bill raises the Medicare premium. Late last Tuesday night, Republicans voted to raise the Medicare premium from 24 percent to 31.5 percent. That means instead of the $42 that the seniors were going to have to pay, they are now going to pay $53 a month. And that is going to start on New Year's Day. Happy New Year, American seniors. The Republican budget means seniors will pay more for Medicare. That is why 60 percent of the American public would like the President to veto this budget. And it is all part of a grand strategy, which is here with the very words of the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich]: We do not get rid of Medicare in round one because we do not think that that is politically smart, and we don't think that this is the right way to transition. We believe it is going to wither on the vine. That is what we are doing, we are having Medicare wither on the vine.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the Wall Street Journal says it all this morning: Donald Jones, a wealthy backer of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, has taken the concept of being a Washington insider to new heights. The Wisconsin telecommunications entrepreneur enjoyed unusual access to the Speaker as House leaders fine-tuned a sweeping telecommunications bill earlier this year. This gentleman has millions or billions of dollars' worth of financial interests before this House, and we find out that he spoke often 2 to 3 hours daily with the Speaker of the House. This is the way Mr. Jones describes his access: I participate as an observer. I interpret and I analyze the subtleties of the meeting for the Speaker. In the end, on this bill, this bill treated both the Internet and cable [[Page H 12090]] services in which Mr. Jones has a tremendous financial interest favorably by deregulating rates, among other things. The clincher is Mr. Gingrich opposed an amendment in being soft on pornography on the cable channels. Do you know that? Mr. Jones, 40 percent of his gross is involved with the pornography channel. The American people did not vote last November for this kind of change.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, on Veterans Day, Major Linda Schwartz will receive the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Commendation Medal. Linda Schwartz truly embodies the spirit of this prestigious award, which is given ``to those select few who have distinguished themselves through their service to Connecticut veterans and their families.'' I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this outstanding individual who has done so much to address the needs of our veterans not only in Connecticut but across the country. Linda Schwartz' work on behalf of our veterans has earned her the respect and admiration of all who know her. A deeply caring and compassionate woman, she has devoted herself to meeting the needs of Connecticut's homeless veterans. She brought the ``stand down'' concept to Connecticut in 1992 and has been an integral part of the success of this yearly event which gives homeless veterans access to a wide range of programs and services. Linda also co-founded ``project partnership'' in which the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Program has renovated houses for homeless and disabled veterans in conjunction with rehabilitation services at the West Haven VA Medical Center. A skilled nurse who served with distinction in the Air Force, Linda has applied her medical background to the many health issues facing our veterans, including the effects of agent orange and post traumatic stress syndrome. Indeed, she is known nationally for her leadership on issues related to veterans health care and women veterans, and has testified numerous times before both Houses of Congress. She has also been appointed to several Federal advisory committees, including, most recently, the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. Linda has also served as the president of the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Fund since its inception in 1989, and as acting director of government affairs for Vietnam Veterans of America. It has been my great honor to work closely with Linda on a number of issues affecting veterans in my district. Linda's dynamic leadership and enthusiasm were instrumental in forging a partnership between veterans groups and Connecticut's labor unions to help Connecticut veterans enter the work force through an apprenticeship program. The West Haven VA Center, the Painters Union and the Carpenters Union have now joined together in a cooperative effort that I believe should serve as a model across the country. Whether working with the local VA center or testifying before Congress, Linda Schwartz has been a tireless advocate for our veterans. I commend her for all that she has done for the veterans in may district, and congratulate her on this well-deserved honor.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, some people just do not get it. On Tuesday night, as voters all over this country were rejecting the extreme agenda of the Gingrich revolution, House Republicans were working behind closed doors to raise the Medicare premiums. Mr. Speaker, this is no smear; this is reality. The Medicare part B premiums were scheduled to drop to a 25-percent rate, but Tuesday night Republicans voted to raise those premiums to 31.5 percent. That means that instead of $42 a month, seniors will pay $53 a month beginning on January 1. The Gingrich revolution means that seniors are going to pay more for Medicare. Do not believe them when they say they are protecting the future for our kids, because they are going to cut the opportunity for youngsters to be able to go to college. They are cutting student loans and providing working, middle-class families with more taxes. They are going to increase their taxes and, frankly, it is wrong. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the American people rejected the extremism of the Gingrich revolution. What we need to do is to make sure the folks in the other body reject this Medicare increase.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, this continuing resolution is but the latest manifestation of the Republican Congress' all-out assault on Medicare. It will raise Medicare part B premiums on America's seniors by over $150 in 1996. Some politicians may not think that is a whole lot of money. Let me tell you, to people living on fixed incomes, that is a lot of money. For some older Americans, these cuts may mean choosing between medicine and food. I think that's wrong. But I am not the only one alarmed by the radical agenda the Republican majority is ramming through this House. As Republican David Gergen observed in this week's U.S. News & World Report, ``Congress now seems intent on imposing new burdens upon the poor, the elderly and vulnerable children while, incredibly, delivering a windfall for the wealthy.'' This extreme agenda goes too far, and the American people know it. Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to reject this latest raid on Medicare to finance tax breaks for the wealthy. Vote against this radical agenda. Vote against this continuing resolution.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, under current law the part B premium would drop from $46 to $24.50. That is an increase of $11 per month under current law. If we multiply that by 12 months, it is a $132 increase that seniors will be faced with come January. It is a New Year's present for the seniors in this country.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, some people just do not get it. Last night, as voters all over the country were rejecting the extreme agenda of the Gingrich revolution, House Republicans were working behind closed doors to raise Medicare premiums. Medicare part B premiums were scheduled to drop to a 25-percent rate, but late last night, Republicans voted to raise those premiums to 31.5 percent. That means instead of $42 a month, seniors will pay $53 a month beginning on January 1. The Gingrich revolution means that seniors will pay more for Medicare, students will pay more to go to college, and middle-class working families will pay more in taxes. That is wrong. Yesterday, the American people rejected the extremism of the Gingrich revolution. Today, Members of this body should follow their lead and reject the continuing resolution that will increase Medicare premiums for seniors.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened by the tragic assassination of Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. I offer my sympathies to the Rabin family, to the Israeli people, and to all who mourn the loss of this great man. Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli patriot and courageous leader whose life will [[Page H 11809]] be forever intertwined with the history of Israel. As a general, he led the heroic effort to secure Israel's existence. As a statesman, he made the historic decision to seek peace for his nation. Only a man who so fully understood the struggle to create a secure and democratic Israel could seize the moment to pursue peace. It is tragically fitting that Prime Minister Rabin's last act was to speak in support of the peace process--a difficult yet vital process to which he devoted the past 2 years of his life. I can add little to the words Yitzhak Rabin spoke on his last day. He said: ``I was a military man for 27 years. I waged war as long as there was no chance for peace. I believe there is now a chance for peace, a great chance, and we must take advantage of it for those who are standing here, and for those who are not here--and they are many. I have always believed that the majority of the people want peace and are ready to take a chance for peace.'' Yitzhak Rabin has done as much as anyone to build the Jewish state, defend it in time of need, and foster relationships with Israel's neighbors so that future generations will know peace instead of war. We mourn the loss of Yitzhak Rabin and pray that his life's work may continue.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is not just seniors who will be asked to pay more under the Republican Medicare bill. Businesses and working people can expect to see that their health care costs are going to rise as well. In today's health care system, private patients and their insurers pay the price for the uninsured. This cost shifting will accelerate under the Republican Medicare proposal. According to a story that ran this weekend in the New York Times, as Medicare payments fall short of covering the cost of care, hospitals will be forced to make up the difference by charging their private patients more. Many people who work for small businesses could also lose their insurance altogether. An independent health care research firm, Lewin VHI, estimates that $66 billion will be shifted on to the privately insured. That is too big of a burden for our small businesses, and yet another reason to oppose the Republican Medicare cuts.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, the Ethics Committee investigation into allegations against Speaker Gingrich makes the O.J. trial look like swift justice. Since the beginning of this Congress, the Ethics Committee has been meeting to discuss the various charges against Mr. Gingrich. The complexity of the charges coupled with the fact that they are leveled against the highest ranking Member of the House are two reasons why this inquiry has dragged on. They are also two reasons why we need an outside counsel to take over. For several months, government watchdog groups like Common Cause and Public Citizen have been calling for the appointment of an outside counsel in this case. They believe, as I do, that the appointment of a fully independent, outside counsel is the only way to assure a fair, thorough, nonpartisan investigation of the Speaker. It is the only way to lift the ethical cloud that hangs over this House.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, these EPA riders restrict or eliminate the ability to set environmental standards and enforce regulations that are designed to protect the public health. The riders prohibit regulations controlling the amount of arsenic and radon in our drinking water, prevent the reduction of toxic air pollutants from hazardous waste incinerators, restrict citizens' right to know about the toxic substances that are released in their communities, and limit the reduction of toxic air pollutants from oil refineries. In fact, in my district in Connecticut, in the third district, this would allow for the influx of raw sewage into the Long Island Sound. The American people need to know that the public interest is being sold to the highest bidder here in the people's House. These riders are a direct result of the political culture that allows the pollution lobby undue influence to ramrod special interest legislation through this House. This is an auction. Reject the appeals of the special interest pollution lobbyists and vote for the Stokes-Boehlert motion to instruct.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Is it not true, though, that what you want to try to do here with this debt limit is use it as leverage, as you have said, in order to force the President on the budget? That in itself has created chaos on Wall Street.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, this afternoon the Republican leaders in the House and Senate went to the White House in an attempt to blackmail the President into signing their extreme budget. Democrats and the President are opposed to the Republican budget because it includes deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid and because it increases taxes on working families, while cutting taxes for the wealthy. The President has promised to veto the budget unless changes are made to protect seniors, children and working families from bearing the brunt of GOP cuts. But now, Speaker Gingrich and the leader of the other body are attempting to blackmail the President by threatening to throw the government into default if the President doesn't sign their extreme budget. It's a very dangerous game. Playing politics with our economy is bad news for both Wall Street and Main Street. The Speaker's irresponsible threats sent shock waves up and down Wall Street. But, the real impact of the Speaker's ill-considered political gambit will be felt on Main Street. Once again, working families will be hurt the most. In fact, the Speaker's threat to throw government into default will amount to a Christmas tax on working families. You see if the government goes belly up, interest rates will go up and up. What does that mean? Well, for starters, it would mean higher mortgage, car loan and credit card payments. For millions of working families with adjustable rate mortgages, increased interest rates will mean their monthly payments will mean their monthly payments will increase, just in time for Christmas. If the Speaker forces the Government into default, Americans can expect to ring in the New Year with higher car loans and credit card payments. In fact, a Tuesday Washington Times story explained that Republicans are so committed to their blackmail strategy that they would be willing to allow the Government to default, even if it means they will have to delay income tax refunds next year. Mr. Speaker, this is the quote from the Washington Times, Tuesday, October 31: Representative Nick Smith, the Michigan Republican who heads a 130 member House coalition that wants to use the debt limit as leverage to force Mr. Clinton to sign the Republican budget, said he believes the Treasury could go through January without a debt increase, and if it delayed income tax refunds next year, it might last through spring. So, in fact, the gentleman does not really care if people do not get their income tax refund, if the interest rates go up, and people have to pay a higher mortgage payment, car loan payment, or credit card payment. Mr. Speaker, raising mortgage rates for homeowners and denying tax refunds to hard-working Americans is wrong. But, that's what this GOP gambit will mean to working families in this country. It's hard to believe that Republicans are willing to bankrupt the country. What's worse is that this is all being done to force the President to sign a budget that will further devastate working families. It's a budget that would repeal Federal nursing home standards. That's right. The House budget would end minimum protections for senior citizens in nursing homes, opening the door for a return to the health care dark ages of bed restraints and mind-altering drugs. It's a budget that would increase taxes on working families, while decreasing taxes on millionaires. By changing the earned income tax credit, the Republican budget means that working families will pay higher taxes last year. In my district, this budget will raise taxes on 14,309 working families. It's a budget that would allow big corporations to raid the pension funds of their workers. This budget repeals current penalties for pension raids and allows companies to dip into their employees' retirement money for any reason whatever. In my State, it will mean that $6.5 billion in retirement funds will be at risk. Eliminating nursing standards, raising taxes on working families and allowing giant corporations to squander their workers retirement benefits have nothing to do with balancing the budget. They have everything to do with the upside down priorities of the GOP majority. Let's not play politics with working families' monthly mortgage payments. Let's not play politics with working people's tax refunds. Let's not play politics with the financial markets. Republicans are attempting to blackmail President Clinton into signing their extreme budget bill, but it is working Americans who are being asked to pay the ransom.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, the scariest things this Halloween are the tricks and treats being doled out by the Republican-led Congress. The problem is that the American people get all the tricks, while lobbyists get all the treats. When lobbyists come knocking on the doors of this House there are plenty of GOP goodies to go around. If you come dressed as a golfer-- you will be treated to a gift ban bill that does not ban lobbyist-paid golf trips. If you come dressed as a corporate big-wig or millionaire--you will be treated to more than your share of the Republican's $245 billion tax cut. And, if you come dressed as a doctor--you will be treated to 3 billion dollars' worth of goodies in the GOP Medicare bill. But, if you come dressed as a senior citizen, a student or a veteran, a working man or woman, there are no treats, only tricks. The scariest thing this Halloween may just be the 104th Congress.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am honored tonight to participate in this special order, and I thank the gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Maloney] for her efforts in organizing this commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Most importantly, we are here to pay tribute to the women and men who fight to survive this deadly and tragic disease. Breast cancer claims the lives of more than 44,000 women and 300 men each year. Excluding cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, accounting for one out of every three cancer diagnoses. In 1996, over 184,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed. While the statistics are daunting, there is hope. We have learned over the years that early diagnosis and early treatment of breast cancer dramatically increases survival rates for its victims. I know something about the importance of early detection--it saved my life. Nine years ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But I was lucky. My cancer was discovered early and I have been cancer free for 9 years. I am forever grateful to the wonderful doctors and nurses who saved my life and to the many researchers whose relentless and often unrecognized efforts have produced so many advancements in cancer detection and treatment. We know that early detection is the most effective way to keep cancer from killing. Unfortunately, these services are not as readily and widely available as they need to be. Therefore, we must continue to fight for increased funding for breast cancer research and screening. As a member of the National Security Committee, I worked hard to ensure that the House appropriated $100 million for breast cancer programs in the Department of Defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 1996. Furthermore, we must fight for increased funding for the breast cancer research at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. The House appropriated a 5.7 percent increase in funding for the National Cancer Institute, which funds the Breast and Cervical Cancer Mortality Prevention programs which I sponsored. On the last evening of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we must not allow the specter of breast cancer to lurk in the darkness. We must recommit ourselves in the upcoming year to arm our Nation's women with the information, resources and support to combat and survive this horrifying disease. Together, I know we can do it.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule. Congress must begin to restore the credibility to this institution by passing strong measures to ban gifts to Members of Congress and staff and to prevent undue influence by special interest lobbyists. Four times this session Democrats have tried to pass gift ban and lobby reform legislation. We have tried to force vote after vote to do what is right. It seems that we are dragging our Republican colleagues kicking and screaming toward these reforms that are needed to restore the integrity of this Congress. In fact, Republicans pulled a bill from the floor last week that would have banned gifts and would have forced lobbyists to disclose their sources of income. What are my colleagues on the other side of the aisle afraid of? The Republicans said that they would schedule a vote sometime in the future on these important issues. But why wait? Let us start today. Let us pass the gift ban and lobby reform bills that have been passed by the Senate, get them to the President for his signature, and send a message to the American people that we listened to their call for honest and open Government. The Republican leadership is stalling and plans to water down the legislation. We have already heard talk of continuing the all-expense- paid Government vacation for Members of Congress. A bill that protects these perks, the golf players' perks, is a hole-in-one for the lobbyists and a double bogey for the American public. Let us pass a tough gift-ban bill and lobby-reform bill, and let us do it today. Let us not wait for some God-forsaken day or some middle- of-the-night event where nothing will happen. Let us get rid of the golf perks in this body.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, last week this House passed the radical Gingrich plan that will devastate essential services to millions of middle class Americans--all in the name of giving a massive tax break to the wealthiest few. The Gingrich plan to cut $270 billion out of Medicare to hand out $245 billion to corporations and wealthy individuals is an outrage. The American people will not stand for this Gingrich plan. But now the Republicans say they can't afford to pay the political price to kill Medicare outright. So the Gingrich plan will gut Medicare but will do it covertly so that it will as he says, ``wither on the vine.'' For millions of Americans, Medicare has stood the test of time as a sacred compact between our Government and our seniors. Medicare embodies the principle that citizens who work hard all their lives, raise their children, pay their bills, and play by the rules will not be thrown out into the streets in their sunset years. We must not allow the Gingrich Republicans to balance the budget on the backs of America's seniors. We must not allow Medicare to become the political football it is in the Gingrich plan. I call on this House to support the motion to instruct the conferees and reject the Gingrich plan.

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, in response to the gentleman who just spoke, if we are not raising taxes then we did not need a budget waiver. Let me quote Jack Kemp. This is a tax increase on low-income workers and the poor, which is unconscionable at this time. We eliminate the credit for working people who are without children. That is 4.3 million people and we increase the phaseout rate.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, let me just say that Medicare, Medicaid, that is what this is about. It is tax breaks for the rich versus Medicare and Medicaid. The Speaker, in his own words, has said what he believes we ought to do with Medicare, and that is that we do not get rid of it now in round one because we do not think it is politically smart, but we do believe that it is going to wither on the vine. That is the true, the true statement about the Speaker and how he feels about the Medicare Program and its future.

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to say to my colleague that if it was not a tax increase, then why did he need a budget waiver for this bill? Let me just say that what they have done here with the earned income tax credit, it is $23.3 billion in taxes of low-income working families. They are going to raise the taxes of 14.2 million families who make less than $28,000 in 1996, and the charts can say whatever they want, that is an absolute fact. Take the words of Jack Kemp, who was appalled at what you are doing in terms of cutting the earned income tax credit. Mr. de la GARZA. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to our distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Stenholm].

Ms. DeLAURO

Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, today's historic vote will have a profound impact on the people we were sent here to represent. As the debate draws to a close, Members must stand and be counted on a fundamental question, will we provide lavish tax breaks for wealthy people and for multinational corporations or will we protect Medicare for America's seniors. The Gingrich plan that the House will vote on today is a shameful payoff for the rich and well-connected special interests paid for by a $270 billion raid on Medicare, and the American people know it. Thirty years ago another Congress took another historic vote to create a health care system for our Nation's seniors. Not a single Republican voted for that creation of Medicare, including the majority leader of the other body, and yesterday he bragged of that vote saying that we knew it would not work. On this side of the street Speaker Gingrich joined the trashing of Medicare, and on Tuesday he revealed the real GOP plan to destroy Medicare. Speaker Gingrich said that we did not get rid of it in the first round because we do not think that that is politically smart, and he further said that we believe that it will, Medicare will, wither on the vine. Mr. Speaker, those comments to that extent are sour grapes for seniors in this country. Today Republicans are closing in on their 30-year goal to end Medicare, but while Republican leaders say that Medicare does not work, America's seniors know that it does work, and for 30 years it has worked. It has stood for generations as a sacred compact between our Government and our seniors. It represents a core value system that has made this country great. It embodies the principle that citizens who work hard all their lives, raise their children, pay their bills, and play by the rules will not be thrown out onto the street in their sunset years. This budget has nothing to do with saving Medicare or with paying off our debt. It has everything to do with tax cuts for the rich, and health care for the seniors is an easy target. When the bells sound for Members to record their votes, I hope my colleagues will put the American people before the special interests. The American people deserve no less.