http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031123/ap_on_go_co/medicare_136Medicare Showdown Brewing in Senate
Sun Nov 23, 4:41 PM ET Add Politics - U. S. Congress to My Yahoo!
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON - A sweeping Medicare prescription drug bill sparked a defiant last stand Sunday by outnumbered critics in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Despite the strenuous opposition, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein became the seventh Democrat to announce her intention to vote in favor of the measure. She said she would do so "not because it's perfect, but because I believe it brings substantial help to people who need that help."
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., led a filibuster against the legislation, arguing it would lead toward privatization of Medicare and warning that if they were successful, Republicans would soon be back for more. "Social Security (news - web sites) is next. Medicare is now," he said.
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The bill commands the support of over 50 senators, and several more, including Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., are expected to oppose the filibuster.
At the same time, Daschle pledged to extend the struggle, and aides said he would join efforts to derail the legislation on other procedural grounds. In a sharply worded speech, Daschle described the bill as a windfall for drug companies. The industry "got almost everything they wanted," he said, including a prohibition on the government negotiating for lower drug prices for seniors.