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“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
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Pelosi: 'Threat to Fire Career Civil Servant Who Wanted to Tell the Truth on Medicare Costs is Outrageous'
Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on a news report by Knight Ridder that during debate on the Medicare prescription drug bill, the Bush Administration intentionally withheld its cost estimates of the bill, which were more than $100 billion higher than the figure the Administration publicly endorsed, and threatened to fire a career civil servant if he provided that information to Congress:
"It appears that the Bush Administration intentionally misled Congress about the cost of the Medicare prescription drug bill because officials knew their estimates would cost them the vote. By preventing lawmakers from making an informed decision, the Bush Administration degraded our national debate and deceived millions of seniors.
"Threatening to fire a career civil servant because he wanted to tell the truth is the latest in a string of outrageous abuses of power by the Republicans. From the beginning of the Medicare prescription drug debate, Republicans have been ruthless in their politics and heartless in their policy.
"There are credible allegations of bribery on the House floor during an unprecedented three-hour vote. The Republican manager of the bill was reportedly offered a multi-million dollar job with the pharmaceutical lobby shortly after the bill passed. And the head of the agency that oversees Medicare was actively seeking to cash in on his position with a lucrative job in the private sector while the bill was still being written.
"Republicans have spun a tangled web of deceit. The way they handled this bill was not worthy of our great democracy. It was an illegitimate vote. To restore the integrity of the House, I call on Speaker Hastert to immediately bring this bill to the House floor to vote on its repeal."
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
