Relating To Consideration of H.R. 6111, Tax Relief And Health Care Act of 2006
RELATING TO CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 6111, TAX RELIEF AND HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - December 08, 2006)
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts and also join in the remarks that he made.
I rise to express my strong opposition to the rule and my serious concerns about the substance of the bill we are about to consider. First off, we are considering complex pieces of legislation that affect a wide variety of U.S. policies and we are doing so after getting only a few short hours to read the actual bill text. I suppose we shouldn't have expected more from this Congress, but it is still reprehensible that the Republican leadership has chosen to throw so many bills together at the very end of the session without giving Members the opportunity for amendments.
I will say that on behalf of the doctors and patients in my district, I am glad to see that Congress is taking action to avert a drastic 5.1 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians. It is a shame, however, that we have to wait until the end of the last week of this Congress in order to address a problem we saw coming from far away. What really needs to be done is a permanent fix that will avoid Congress from having to correct the Medicare reimbursement rate on an annual basis. If doctors face annual cuts, seniors may lose access to physician services, and that is why it is important to permanently fix the formula by which we pay physicians under Medicare.
On the other hand, I strongly oppose the offshore drilling language in this bill. It is inconceivable given what we know about our current energy problems and the looming threat of global warming that we are considering another proposal to do nothing more than drill, drill, and drill as the gentleman from Massachusetts said. I have said many times before, the United States consumes a quarter of the world's oil but contains only 3 percent of the world's known reserves. There is simply no way we can drill our way out of our dependence on foreign oil. What we need instead is a more comprehensive solution that focuses on increasing the efficiency of our cars, our homes and businesses and promotes the use of clean, renewable technology. We see more and more evidence every day that our dangerous addiction to fossil fuels is threatening our national security, causing volatile prices at the pump and exacerbating global warming. Instead, we are given the choice of more oil rigs in offshore waters which is little more than a sop to the oil and gas industries that have gotten so many favors already from this Congress. Apparently, the Republican leadership can't help giving them one more favor as they go out the door.
It is my sincere hope, Mr. Speaker, that next year we can start this process over and work in a bipartisan fashion on legislation to address all these issues. I hope Members realize that next year the new Democratic Congress will not resort to such tactics as the rule we are dealing with today and will choose to deal with important matters such as energy legislation and physician payment schedules in a timely and rational manner.
I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this ill-conceived rule.
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