For immediate release: October 15, 2012

Congressman Bass Reaffirms That His Priorities Are Not With New Hampshire Seniors

CONCORD, N.H. – In a recent interview with the Concord Monitor, Congressman Bass once again doubled-down on his support for the Ryan budget that ends Medicare’s guaranteed benefits, stating, “I could have voted against the Ryan budget. But I didn’t want to.” Annie Kuster responded to Congressman Bass’s comments with the following statement:

“Congressman Bass continues to stand by his support for the Ryan budget, a plan that ends Medicare’s guaranteed benefits while giving new tax breaks to millionaires. As analysis has shown, the Ryan plan’s vouchers will not keep pace with the rising costs of health care, meaning that seniors will be forced to pay thousands more out of their own pockets every year. If Congressman Bass thinks that’s a good thing for seniors, then he has the wrong priorities for New Hampshire.”

BACKGROUND

Congressman Bass Stands By His Votes For the Ryan Budget. In an interview with the Concord Monitor, Congressman Bass explained that, “I could have voted against the Ryan budget. But I didn’t want to.” [Concord Monitor, 10/14/12]

House Republicans Voted for Budgets With the Wrong Priorities for Seniors. House Republicans voted for two budgets authored by Congressman Paul Ryan. These budgets would end Medicare’s guaranteed benefit while providing people earning more than $1 million a year with an average tax cut of $265,000. Additionally, the Congressional Budget Office estimated it will increase health care costs by an extra $6,400 by 2022 for future Medicare beneficiaries. [H Con. Res. 34, Vote #277, 4/15/11; H Con Res 112, Vote #151, 3/29/12; CBO, 4/5/11]

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