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CNN Sunday Morning
Senate Democrats Vow to Kill Medicare Bill
Aired November 23, 2003 - 08:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Capitol Hill, where Medicare reform may need life support. The $395 billion measure barely survived a journey through the House of Representatives yesterday. Democratic leaders vowing to kill it in the Senate. The Bush administration has a lot riding on this legislation.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with the latest from there. Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning. President Bush is back from his London trip. He is focusing on his domestic priorities. And the president really facing one of the most critical challenges of his presidency, the centerpiece of his domestic policy, the Medicare reform. The future of this likely to be determined within the next 72 hours.
Yesterday, after an extraordinary chain of events with the House, the House passing its version of the legislation 220 to 215 after Republicans kept the vote open for a record-breaking nearly three hours. Now, the House leadership twisted the arms of a few conservative members to change their votes. President Bush even threw his own political weight into the mix, making at least a dozen phone calls to lawmakers to make this whole thing happen.
Now Democratic Senator Kennedy, as well as Senator John Kerry, both are threatening to filibuster this. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says that he will bring this to a vote, perhaps even as early as tomorrow.
Now, President Bush is urging the Senate to push it through quickly. That in his weekly radio address, while Democrats are calling this whole process a sham.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week, Congress made significant progress toward improving the lives of America's senior citizens. The House of Representatives passed legislation that would bring prescription drug coverage to Medicare and lead to health care choices for our seniors. This legislation, if also passed by the Senate, would represent the greatest improvement in senior health care since Medicare was enacted in 1965.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you find the pharmaceutical company working feverishly night and day to pass this legislation, it isn't because they want to make less money. They want to make more money. So now we have the GOP, which is -- now could be, I guess, an acronym for the greedy old pharmaceutical companies. And that's what's pushing this legislation. And that I think is proof positive that the seniors will be the losers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, despite threats of a filibuster, it is likely. It is expected this is going to pass in the Senate. But President Bush is not taking any chances. He's going to be traveling this week to Las Vegas, as well as Phoenix, where he's going to be giving speeches. His main message, of course, to pass that Medicare reform -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks very much for joining us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 23, 2003 - 08:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Capitol Hill, where Medicare reform may need life support. The $395 billion measure barely survived a journey through the House of Representatives yesterday. Democratic leaders vowing to kill it in the Senate. The Bush administration has a lot riding on this legislation.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us with the latest from there. Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning. President Bush is back from his London trip. He is focusing on his domestic priorities. And the president really facing one of the most critical challenges of his presidency, the centerpiece of his domestic policy, the Medicare reform. The future of this likely to be determined within the next 72 hours.
Yesterday, after an extraordinary chain of events with the House, the House passing its version of the legislation 220 to 215 after Republicans kept the vote open for a record-breaking nearly three hours. Now, the House leadership twisted the arms of a few conservative members to change their votes. President Bush even threw his own political weight into the mix, making at least a dozen phone calls to lawmakers to make this whole thing happen.
Now Democratic Senator Kennedy, as well as Senator John Kerry, both are threatening to filibuster this. But Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says that he will bring this to a vote, perhaps even as early as tomorrow.
Now, President Bush is urging the Senate to push it through quickly. That in his weekly radio address, while Democrats are calling this whole process a sham.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week, Congress made significant progress toward improving the lives of America's senior citizens. The House of Representatives passed legislation that would bring prescription drug coverage to Medicare and lead to health care choices for our seniors. This legislation, if also passed by the Senate, would represent the greatest improvement in senior health care since Medicare was enacted in 1965.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you find the pharmaceutical company working feverishly night and day to pass this legislation, it isn't because they want to make less money. They want to make more money. So now we have the GOP, which is -- now could be, I guess, an acronym for the greedy old pharmaceutical companies. And that's what's pushing this legislation. And that I think is proof positive that the seniors will be the losers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, despite threats of a filibuster, it is likely. It is expected this is going to pass in the Senate. But President Bush is not taking any chances. He's going to be traveling this week to Las Vegas, as well as Phoenix, where he's going to be giving speeches. His main message, of course, to pass that Medicare reform -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Thanks very much for joining us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
