Prescription Drug Discount Cards

Prescription Drug Discount Cards -- (House of Representatives - May 04, 2004)

(Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Congressional Research Service concluded that the Bush administration broke the law when it refused to allow a career civil servant to be honest with Members of this House as to the true cost of the Republican prescription drug bill.

Since the very beginning of the prescription drug debate, President Bush and this Republican Congress have had a win-at-all-cost attitude about their prescription drug legislation. The sad fact is that the true losers in this scandal are the senior citizens, the very people Republicans claim they are trying to help.

This week, seniors nationwide will begin to see how ineffective and confusing the Republican prescription drug legislation is. This week, seniors have the opportunity to sign up for new prescription drug cards that will provide supposed savings on prescription drug costs.

But, Mr. Speaker, while some seniors will be able to save on their medications when they use these cards, many will not. In fact, I believe that these drug cards are nothing more than window dressing, a weak attempt by the Bush administration to couch the ineffectiveness of this Medicare law.