The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD INVESTIGATE HEALTHCARE COMPANIES” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4322 on May 18, 2017.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SHOULD INVESTIGATE HEALTHCARE COMPANIES
(Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, it was reported in The New York Times on Monday that UnitedHealthcare and four of the Nation's largest health insurance companies concocted a scheme to defraud the Medicare program and the American people out of tens of billions of dollars each year over the past decade.
The United States Department of Justice yesterday joined the lawsuit and is investigating these serious charges against UnitedHealthcare and the others. The Justice Department should conduct an investigation aggressively and thoroughly to get to the truth and to exact justice.
If these allegations are true, these actions would represent among the most egregious schemes of fraud perpetrated against the American people.
Shockingly, the House Republican health bill gave a $78 million tax cut to the executives of the very companies that are under investigation, including a $15.5 million tax cut to UnitedHealthcare and their chief executive officer.
This information can easily be found on page 67 in 3 lines of the Republican healthcare bill.
This is, Mr. Speaker, a blatant violation of the public trust that this Congress took an oath to protect and to uphold.
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