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https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/files/original/016de0906f514ddfb1b778c8a30ce97a.pdf
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FOIA Number:
2008-0700-F
FOIA
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting
Series/Staff Member:
Heather Hurlburt
Subseries:
19910
OAIID Number:
FolderiD:
Title:
Military [Retiree] Prescription [Drugs] [5-16-00- Statement]
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CLINTON LIBRARY PHOTOCOP
\
(
�Final 05/16/00 10:30am
Heather Hurlburt
PRESIDENT WILLIAM J. CLINTON
STATEMENT ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFIT
FOR MILITARY RETIREES
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
May 16,2000
Good afternoon. Before we start, I want to say something about Helen Thomas, who has
decided today to leave UPI after fifty-seven years. Presidents come and go, but Helen has been
here for nearly forty years, covering eight Presidents and showing the ropes to countless young
reporters -- and more than a few press secretaries. Change is a good thing, most often. And we
hope that this change will bring Helen new rewards and fulfillment. Whatever she decides to do,
I hope that she'll still spend plenty oftime here at the White House. After all, without her saying
"thank you, Mr. President," our news conferences might never end.
In my State of the Union address this year, I said that we could not in good conscience let
another year pass without finding a way to offer voluntary prescription drug coverage to every
older American. I believe we are beginning to make progress toward that goal. We are here _
today to support one step in the right direction -- a Congressional proposal, scheduled for a vote
this week in the House, to extend prescription drug coverage to all retired military personnel over
age 65.
Keeping faith with the men and women of our Armed Forces is a sacred obligation. That
is why we have raised military pay by more than 8 percent over the last two years. It is why we
are working to provide our troops with better housing. And it is why we are taking steps to
improve access to medical care for all military personnel, families and retirees.
We ask these men and women to risk their lives for our freedom; and in return, we pledge
them the support of a grateful nation. Part of that promise is a medical network that helps
provide prescription drugs at reasonable cost. Some senior retirees are able to take advantage of
that network. But prescription drugs are out of reach for as many as three out of four ofthem.
This proposal makes sure we meet our promise to the more than one million older
military retirees across our nation. It will provide every one of them with a prescription drug
benefit. And it will share with them the price discounts that the military negotiates with drug
companies. At this time of unprecedented national prosperity, there is absolutely no reason for
military retirees to go without the prescription drugs they need to live longer, healthier lives. We
need to show the men and women of our armed forces that they count- and that they can count
on us.
I believe this initiative is another important step toward finding a way to offer every older
American voluntary prescription drug coverage and affordable prescription drugs.
�Today more than three in five American seniors lack such coverage. Too many are
spending huge percentages of their income on prescription drugs; too many have to choose every
month between filling their prescriptions and filling their grocery carts; and too many are simply
not getting the medicines they need.
If we were creating Medicare today, we would certainly include a prescription drug
benefit, to give older Americans and people with disabilities access to the most cost-effective
health care there is. Prescription drugs help keep seniors mobile and healthy; they help prevent
expensive hospital stays and surgical procedures. And they promote the dignity that every single
retired person is entitled to - the quality of life that we all want for our parents and for ourselves.
We should act this year to make sure all seniors have access to prescription drug
coverage. In my budget, I have proposed a comprehensive plan to provide a Medicare benefit
that is optional, affordable and available for all. A plan based on price competition, not price
controls; a plan that will boost seniors' bargaining power to get the best prices possible; a plan
that is part of an overall effort to strengthen and modernize Medicare, so we will never have to
ask our children to shoulder the burden when the baby boom generation retires.
I'm glad that there is growing bipartisan support for providing affordable coverage to all
Medicare beneficiaries. Both sides say they want to get this done; unfortunately, the proposals
put forward by the majority in Congress will not achieve this goal. They would provide no
assistance for middle-income seniors- nearly half of all those who now lack coverage. And they
would subsidize private insurance plans that the industry itself says it will not offer. That won't
get the job done.
But the bipartisan spirit of this proposal for military retirees shows us the way forward.
In reaching out to extend coverage to older military retirees," Congress has recognized that high
prescription drug costs are a burden for every senior; and that we owe every military retiree a
dignified, healthy retirement. Both parties have now agreed that prescription drug coverage
should be available and affordable to every older American. There's no reason on Earth that we
can't come to an agreement on the details ofhow to provide it. We all want America's seniors to
live longer, healthier, richer lives. And I'm very glad that here, as so often before, our armed
forces will lead the way.
# # #
�Record Type:
To:
Record
Heather F. HurlburUWHO/EOP@EOP
cc:
Subject: more2
WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) --Veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas has resigned from United
Press International, UPI Chief Executive Officer Arnaud de Borchgrave announced Monday.
"It is with great regret and sadness that I announce Helen Thomas' resignation from UPI after 57 years of
dedicated service," de Borchgrave said. "Helen is truly a legend in her own time, a brilliant reporter I have
known and admired since I first met her in 1961."
"Helen has made a unique contribution to the annals of journalism with her White House reportage that
spanned four decades," de Borchgrave said. "Her name is already indelibly engraved in the history of our
profession.
"Helen is truly indefatigable in the pursuit of truth," de Borchgrave said. "She is the first reporter in at the
White House as early as 5:30 a.m. and frequently the last to leave at night. She has outrun the best of
them-- because she is the best of them."
Thomas said in a statement Tuesday that she did not intend to remain with UPI, which was purchased
Monday by News World Communications, which publishes the Washington Times newspaper. De
Borchgrave said while some top officials of News World Communications are members of the Unification
Church, led by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the church has no formal ties to News World Communications
and that UPI would remain editorially independent.
In a statement released Tuesday, Helen Thomas said she was not going to continue working for UPI.
"I do not intend to stay," she said. "United Press International is a great news agency. It has made a
remarkable mark in the annals of American journalism and has left a superb legacy for future journalists. I
wish the new owners all the best, great stories, and happy landings."
She said she planned to pursue other ventures.
Thomas, the dean of the Washington press corps, has been reporting on presidents since the Kennedy
administration and has traveled the world with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton.
Her second memoir, "Front Row at the White House," was published in 1999.
In April 1998, the White House Correspondents Association honored Thomas with a lifetime
achievement award. The award, named in her honor, is to be presented annually to an outstanding
journalist.·
President Clinton called Thomas "a symbol of everything American journalism can and should be -- the
embodiment of fearless integrity, fierce commitment to accuracy, the insistence of holding government
accountable. All of that in the spirit of the First Amendment and the free press it protects."
Thomas in response quipped that, "You're only as good as your last story."
Thomas joined United Press in 1943 as a radio writer and an editor for the old Washington City News
wire. She began covering federal departments in downtown Washington in the 1950s.
In November 1960, Thomas began covering President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White
House in January 1961 as a member of the UPI team, which then was led by Merriman Smith.
It was during this first White House assignment that Thomas began closing presidential press
conferences with: "Thank you, Mr. President," a custom that had begun with Smith.
She was the only female print journalist traveling with President Nixon to communist China during his
breakthrough trip in 1972.
She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush.
In 1976 the World Almanac named Thomas one of the 25 most influential women in America.
In 1993 she presided over the Gridiron Club, the first woman named president of the journalistic
�organization that was established in 1885. Thomas was the first woman to join the elite all-male club in
1975.
Thomas also has served as president of the Women's National Press Club, now merged with the
National Press Club, and was the first woman president of the White House Correspondents Association.
She also was the first woman officer of the National Press Club. She has received numerous awards and
honorary degrees, and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame and the
Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
--Copyright 2000 by United Press International. All rights reserved.·--
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Heather Hurlburt
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
Heather Hurlburt
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1999-2001
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36161" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431953" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2008-0700-F
Description
An account of the resource
Heather Hurlburt's speechwriting collection consists of speeches, drafts, correspondence, and background research. Hurlburt worked as Special Assistant and Speechwriter to President Clinton. Her speechwriting files date from 1999-2001. As a speechwriter, Hurlburt prepared remarks on primarily domestic issues ranging from health care to the Special Olympics to the Mississippi Delta Region to the Kennedy Center Awards. She wrote remarks for policy speeches, radio addresses, commencements, taped video remarks, and award ceremonies or tributes. She also prepared a few speeches for the First Lady, and one undelivered speech for Sandy Berger on the topic of military reform.
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
128 files in 11 boxes
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
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Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Military [Retiree] Prescription [Drugs] [5/16/00 - Statement]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Office of Speechwriting
Heather Hurlburt
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2008-0700-F
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 8
<a href="http://www.clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/2008/2008-0700-F.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431953" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
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Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
12/15/2014
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
42-t-7431953-20080700F-008-007-2014
7431953