Rep. Becerra on Bipartisan Vote in the Senate Rejecting House Republican Plan to End Medicare

Statement

Today a bipartisan majority in the United States Senate voted 57 to 40 to table the budget plan passed in the House of Representatives last month which ends Medicare in order to pay for tax breaks for the richest Americans. Representative Xavier Becerra (CA-31), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, released the following statement:

"Today marks a turning point. The American people have rejected the notion that the only way to balance our budget is by forcing seniors on a fixed income to bear the burden of paying for the irresponsible policies of the past.

Most Americans wouldn't ask Grandma for money to buy their rich uncle a second yacht. Yet, that is essentially what the majority in the House voted to do last month: increase the amount seniors pay for their medical bills while giving tax breaks to the richest Americans and big corporations. That's just wrong, and the American people know it.

It's time for House Republicans to abandon what presidential candidate Newt Gingrich called 'right-wing social engineering' and move towards the priorities of the American people: jobs, strengthening bedrock programs like Social Security and Medicare, and responsible budgeting."

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