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Bush administration officials were wrong to prevent a budget expert from giving Congress estimates of the cost of Medicare legislation, congressional researchers have concluded.
In a report made public Monday, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said efforts to keep Richard Foster, the chief Medicare actuary, from giving Democratic lawmakers his projections of the bill's cost — $100 billion more than the president and other officials were acknowledging — probably violated federal law.
Recent estimates set the bill's cost at more than $500 billion.
Foster testified in March that he was prevented by then-Medicare administrator Thomas Scully from turning over information over to lawmakers. Scully, in a letter to the House Ways and Means Committee, said he had told Foster "that I, as his supervisor, would decide when he would communicate with Congress."
Congressional researchers chided the move. "Such 'gag orders' have been expressly prohibited by federal law since 1912," Jack Maskell, a CRS attorney, wrote in the report.
The report was requested by committee Democrats after majority Republicans refused to subpoena Scully and White House adviser Doug Badger to testify about their roles in keeping cost estimates from lawmakers.
Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., the committee chairman, said he would be willing to issue subpoenas if laws had been broken.
A spokesman for Thomas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Boy, doesn't this take the cake. The Demos are complaining about a give-away program that's gone over budget.
Can you say hypocrites?
The Demos better be carefull about pushing this too hard. It'll alert all the retired people on medicare that the Republican party was responsible for helping them get their medications. Could backfire on the Demos.
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“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
Last edited by 40yearfan; May 3rd, 2004 at 03:43 PM.
Boy, doesn't this take the cake. The Demos are complaining about a give-away program that's gone over budget.
Can you say hypocrites?
Actually, not.
The report was issued by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. And I don't know if they were complaining as much as pointing out possible violation of federal laws.
The report was issued by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. And I don't know if they were complaining as much as pointing out possible violation of federal laws.
C'mon Wiz, they are searching high and low for thrash to throw at the Repubs because Kerry is behind in the polls. I guarantee the Repubs won't make an issue of this.
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“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
They is the DNC. And you didn't address my point about the Demos being hypocrites crying about an entitlement program going over budget.
40, the Republicans have run the deficit up more than any bleeding heart liberal ever dreamed of. Non-military spending (non-descretionary) has gone up more under Bush/GOP Congress than any since the end of WWII.
The Republicans are the new party of Big Spenders - get current with the times!
The DNC had nothing to do with the report that was released today.
Maybe not, but I guarantee you they will take it and run with it straight to the TV ads. They need more ammunition and are starting to grasp at straws. Apparently someone isn't smart enough to realize how far away the election really is.
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“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
40, the Republicans have run the deficit up more than any bleeding heart liberal ever dreamed of. Non-military spending (non-descretionary) has gone up more under Bush/GOP Congress than any since the end of WWII.
The Republicans are the new party of Big Spenders - get current with the times!
Apparently, you haven't been reading all my posts. Last week I posted that the tables had turned with the Repubs being the big spenders and the Demos being the fiscal conservatives.
Please keep in mind that the non military spending you are talking about has gone mostly to education and home land security and as I asked in that post, which one would you cut?
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“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
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