Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 105 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 105 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 143 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1997 No. 30 House of Representatives The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was crats, the Republicans would have in- The public advocate's report, Mr. called to order by the Speaker pro tem- cluded as a goal in their agenda the im- Speaker, underscored the need for a pore [Mr. EHLERS]. plementation of a plan to provide Federal children's only health plan for f health insurance for the Nation's 10 parents who make too much money to million uninsured children. As far as qualify for Medicaid but not enough to DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO the Republican agenda goes, however, afford health insurance for their chil- TEMPORE health care for children is apparently dren. The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- not meant to be. There is no mention Again I would say that, not having fore the House the following commu- of any kind of children's health insur- time to wait for this Congress to do nication from the Speaker: ance plan in the Republican's vision of something, many States around the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, the future. country have taken matters into their Washington, DC, March 11, 1997. Since last spring, Democrats have own hands. Massachusetts, for in- I hereby designate the Honorable VERNON been working to push the issue of chil- stance, has implemented a children's J. EHLERS to act as Speaker pro tempore on dren's only health care to the top of only plan, similar to various proposals this day. Congress' agenda, and our Families developed by congressional Democrats, NEWT GINGRICH, First agenda included a children's only Speaker of the House of Representatives. that assists parents who would other- plan. Day after day in this Congress wise be unable to afford health insur- f Democrats have taken to the floor to ance for their children. The Massachu- MORNING HOUR DEBATES protest the Republicans' failure to ba- setts plan is an important example to sically address anything more sub- cite, in that it illustrates the value of The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- stantive than the propriety of hanging not only providing health care for a ant to the order of the House of Janu- the Ten Commandments on the walls of sick child but of providing preventa- ary 21, 1997, the Chair will now recog- Government buildings and courthouses. tive care that obviates the need for nize Members from lists submitted by This is what we dealt with last week. more expensive care further down the the majority and minority leaders for Mr. Speaker, Democrats are intent line. morning hour debates. The Chair will on passing a children's only health bill. I want to stress how important pre- alternate recognition between the par- Two weeks ago our Minority Leader ventative care is. It is wise not only for ties, with each party limited to not to GEPHARDT and our Senate Minority budgetary reasons but, simply put, it is exceed 30 minutes, and each Member Leader DASCHLE sent a letter to Repub- the humane thing to do. More than half except the majority and minority lead- lican leaders GINGRICH and LOTT asking er limited to not to exceed 5 minutes. them to allow this issue to move for- of the uninsured children with asthma, The Chair recognizes the gentleman ward. Last week we sent another let- just as an example, never see a doctor from New Jersey [Mr. PALLONE] for 5 ter, signed by over 175 members of the during the year. Many of these children minutes. Democratic Caucus, asking the Speak- end up hospitalized with problems that could have been prevented and could f er to provide a date certain for the con- sideration of a children's only health have cost less to treat. Similarly, one- CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE bill, and to date the Democrats have third of uninsured children with recur- Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, last literally heard nothing from the Re- ring ear infections never see the doc- Thursday the Washington Times re- publicans on this issue. tor. Many suffer permanent hearing ported that at long last House Repub- I have to say, though, we have heard loss. licans have finally developed an agenda plenty from elsewhere around the Democrats believe these problems for the 105th Congress. The news was country. We learned the week before should be prevented because they can also accompanied by a report that in last from New York City's public advo- be prevented. Our concern, again, Mr. the first 2 months of the 105th Congress cate that despite the existence of a Speaker, is rooted firmly in the notion the House was in session for a grand State plan to insure children in New that the right thing to do is to make total of 58 hours, compared with 296 York, the rate of uninsured children in sure every child in this country has ac- hours in the first 2 months of the last New York City grew by 6 percent in the cess to medical care. Congress. last 5 years. We also learned that this I have to point out that in their Mr. Speaker, one would think that happened at a time when many of New agenda released last week the GOP with all this spare time and with daily York's parents were working for com- claims it wants to strengthen Ameri- pressure from congressional Demo- panies that had over 1,000 employees. ca's families by fighting child abuse b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H813 H814 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE March 11, 1997 and neglect. I find it ironic that this what we did in the 104th Congress. Over move the concept from policy papers and the goal can be included in their agenda a 2-year span we reduced Federal rhetoric of politicians and bureaucrats and in- and yet they propose to do absolutely spending by $53 billion from the level stead place it in the Constitution of the United nothing about health insurance for proposed by the President, not by States. Rather than talking about eliminating children. slashing prudent and necessary Gov- deficit spending, let's do it. An amendment is Mr. Speaker, I believe the GOP needs ernment programs but by eliminating the only way to ensure that Washington per- to go back to the drawing board. It is 300 wasteful and duplicative programs, manently changes its ways, to make the Gov- incredible that a health plan for chil- projects, and grants. ernment accountable for every one of your tax dren did not make it into their agenda, I cannot stress the following state- dollars, and to prevent the next generation and I hope, and we will continue to ment enough: Our national debt does from being saddled with the cost of our prof- press, that they will change their not result from the American people ligacy. minds and bring up legislation that ad- being taxed too little, it is a product of This is not a partisan issue. We must dresses the issue of kids' health insur- Government that overspends. not be separated by party affiliation. ance. Since 1981, there have been 19 sepa- We must come together and share a vi- f rate tax increases, the largest being sion for our Nation's future. President Clinton's tax hike in 1993. Knowing that facts do not sustain their WHY BALANCE THE BUDGET? Yet the debt continues to rise. Today cause, supporters of the status quo will fall The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under Americans pay more in taxes than ever back on their most potent weaponÐfear. the Speaker's announced policy of Jan- before in history. In fact the average President Clinton has already brandished this uary 21, 1997, the gentleman from Flor- American family pays 40 percent of its weapon through his partisan charge that the ida [Mr. STEARNS] is recognized during income in taxes. That is more than it amendment is a threat to Social Security. But morning hour debates for 5 minutes. spends on housing, food, and clothing remember what the late Paul Tsongas had to Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise combined. Taking more money from say, ``I'm embarrassed as a Democrat to today to address the most imperative the taxpayers has not proven the abil- watch a Democratic President raise the scare issue facing this Nation, and, that is, ity for us to reduce our debt. It has, tactics of Social Security to defeat the bal- the Federal budget. however, proven to increase the size of anced budget amendment.'' The last time our Nation, the great- the Federal bureaucracy. We in Con- Although I support taking Social Security off est Nation on Earth, balanced its gress and in the White House have an budget, the immutable truth is, the greatest books, Nixon was President, the first obligation to serve the public interest, threat to Social Security is the national debt it- moon landing occurred, and the Mod a responsibility to work toward a bal- self. Of the 5.5 trillion dollars of debt, almost Squad was a top TV show. It was 1969. anced budget while taking less money $600 billion is owed to the Social Security And in the 28 years that followed, the from hardworking Americans.