Los Angeles Times
August 24, 2001
by Robert Rosenblatt
“Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson signaled Thursday that the Bush administration is backing away from its commitment to extend health insurance coverage to some of the nation’s 39 million uninsured.”
“On defense… the administration faces a struggle to get an $18.4-billion increase in the budget for the next fiscal year. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld indicated Thursday the administration is ready for a hard legislative fight but expects to prevail.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson:
“The reality is the economy is starting to contract, and when it does you don’t have as much money. The $28 billion would be a nice fix toward helping the uninsured, but… I don’t know if it’s going to be there.”
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld:
“The need is so serious and so real, and the president’s commitment is clear, and I’ve generally found that there are always some people that are against defense spending at any level. And yet when the votes tend to be done, they seem to find a majority to support a strong national defense. And I suspect that that will be the case this time.”
Comment: Do the American people really believe that these are our national priorities? Where are their voices?