Congressional Record—House H4714
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H4714 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE June 20, 2000 Mr. Speaker, this is not a com- on H.R. 3859, the Social Security and Medi- The yeas and nays were ordered. plicated bill. It is very simple. It is ba- care Safe Deposit Box Act. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- sically saying that, for the first time in I thank my colleague, Congressman WALLY ant to clause 8 of rule XX and the more than 40 years, that we are not HERGER for creating this legislation which will Chair's prior announcement, further going to spend the surplus, whatever reserve Medicare surplus dollars only for re- proceedings on this motion will be that surplus is. That is, in Medicare sponsible debt reduction or spending on the postponed. and Social Security, we are not going Medicare program. f to spend it. Very simply, whatever it Soon after today's vote, seniors will no b 1500 is, we are not going to spend. It brings longer need to fear that the money set aside about a point of order to ensure that for their Medicare and well being will be used CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO we do not. as a big government slush fund. ASTRONAUTS NEIL A. ARM- Look how far we have come. It was Similarly to the Social Security lock box STRONG, BUZZ ALDRIN, AND MI- only a few years ago that we were look- which passed by a vote of 417±2 last year, CHAEL COLLINS. ing at deficits of $200 billion and $300 this Medicare lock box is the right thing to do; Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I move to billion, and that did not even include the responsible thing to do. suspend the rules and pass the bill the surplus of Social Security or Medi- Today's vote is the first step in ensuring our (H.R. 2815) to present a congressional care. Then a few years ago, we were re- nation's seniors that they will no longer need gold medal to astronauts Neil A. Arm- porting $80 billion, $90 billion, $100 bil- to fear about whether they will be taken care strong. Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Col- lion surpluses; but that did include, I of in their old age. lins, the crew of Apollo 11. am afraid, Medicare and Social Secu- Today, Congress will make history because The Clerk read as follows: rity. today we begin the guarantee of security in H.R. 2815 But guess what, those surpluses were healthcare for our senior citizens. only half true. Every penny of those Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep- surplus dollars were really Social Secu- resentatives of the United States of America in strong support of H.R. 3859, the Social Secu- Congress assembled, rity dollars. So what did we do? We rity and Medicare Safe Deposit Box Act of passed a Social Security lock box last SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 2000, and urge my colleagues to join in sup- The Congress finds the following: year that said that we would not spend port of this bill. any of the surplus of Social Security, (1) Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, as com- H.R. 3859 amends the Congressional Budg- mander of Apollo 11, achieved the historic and that passed. Now Congress and the et Act of 1974 to protect the net surplus of the accomplishment of piloting the Lunar Mod- President speak of budget surpluses Medicare Part A or Social Security trust funds ule ``Eagle'' to the surface of the Moon, and without Social Security being included by moving them ``off budget.'' Specifically, they became the first person to walk upon the in it. This amount is estimated to be may not be counted as part of the overall fed- Moon on July 20, 1969. $40 billion this year. eral surplus by either the President or the (2) Astronaut Buzz Aldrin joined Neil A. Now we are raising the bar one notch Congress. The bill further amends the Budget Armstrong in piloting the Lunar Module higher. We are saying that we are now ``Eagle'' to the surface of the Moon, and be- Act of 1974 to allow a point of order to protect came the second person to walk upon the going to stop raiding Medicare, just as Social Security surpluses in both the House we stopped raiding Social Security last Moon on July 20, 1969. and Senate from legislation whose enactment year. What we are doing is ensuring (3) Astronaut Michael Collins provided would either cause or increase an on-budget critical assistance to his fellow astronauts that Social Security recipients deserve deficit for a fiscal year, with the exception of that landed on the Moon by piloting the to know that their Medicare dollars are Social Security reform legislation. Command Module ``Columbia'' in the Moon's not being spent on anything else except Moreover, H.R. 3859 also makes it out of orbit and communicating with Earth, there- Medicare. order for either chamber to consider any by allowing his fellow Apollo 11 astronauts This bill is a win-win. It is a win for to successfully complete their mission on measure whose enactment would cause the fiscal discipline. It is a win for Medi- the surface of the Moon. on-budget surplus for a fiscal year to be less care. Most importantly, it is a win for (4) By conquering the Moon at great per- than the projected surplus of the federal hos- our seniors. sonal risk to their safety, the three Apollo 11 I urge all my colleagues to support pital insurance trust fund for that fiscal year. astronauts advanced America scientifically and technologically, paving the way for fu- this Medicare and Social Security lock This provision makes an exception for Medi- care reform legislation. ture missions to other regions in space. box. (5) The Apollo 11 astronauts, by and Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, it is Finally, H.R. 3859 requires that any state- ment or official estimate issued by the Con- through their historic feat, united the coun- common knowledge that most of today's try in favor of continued space exploration American families can no longer live com- gressional Budget Office or the Office of Man- and research. agement and Budget must exclude any sur- fortably on one sole income, in fact, most SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. plus in the Social Security trust fund when households depend on at least two incomes, (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.ÐThe Presi- and as if that wasn't enough, today's Amer- issuing totals of the surplus or deficit of the dent is authorized to present, on behalf of ican employees average more hours at work United States Government. The legislation ap- the Congress, gold medals of appropriate de- than employees from other nations. plies to fiscal year 2001 and future years. sign to astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Buzz It is crystal clear that Americans work hard Mr. Speaker, the Congress has made sig- Aldrin, and Michael Collins, in recognition nificant strides in the past three years with re- of their monumental and unprecedented feat for their paychecks, which is why it is disheart- of space exploration, as well as their ening to know that when a significant percent- gards to ending the practice of raiding the So- cial Security Trust Fund to mask the true size achievements in the advancement of science age of their hard earned money is involuntarily and promotion of the space program. of the Federal outlays. This legislation will en- removed for a Medicare fund, our government (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.ÐFor the purpose will use it as a slush fund to operate com- sure that our practice of fiscal restraint will of the presentation referred to in subsection pletely unrelated programs from which our continue. (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter seniors will never benefit. By approving this bill, the House will dem- in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') Our nation's population is rapidly aging and onstrate to the American people its commit- shall strike a gold medal with suitable em- in response to this, Congress must make the ment to protecting the long term solvency of blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be deter- mined by the Secretary. protection of Medicare dollars a high priority in both the Social Security and Medicare sys- order to deliver healthcare for seniors. tems. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS. Our seniors deserve the health care benefits lend it their strong support. Under such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary may strike and they were promised. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal Our seniors need to know that they will re- struck under section 2 at a price sufficient to ceive adequate healthcare when they need it the gentleman from California (Mr. cover the costs of the medals, including most. HERGER) that the House suspend the labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and They need not be terrified, as many are, rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3859, as overhead expenses. about whether their doctor visits, treatments amended. SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS. and even prescriptions will be covered. The question was taken. The medals struck under this Act are na- Today, the House of Representatives hopes Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, on that I tional medals for purposes of chapter 51 of to put seniors' worries at ease as we will vote demand the yeas and nays.