The Stark Amendment takes direct aim at part of the Bush Administration's pattern of cover ups, clandestine policy making, and concealment of critical information from the Congress. I urge all my colleagues to support it.

We had Dick Cheney's secret energy task force. We've seen military records concealed. We had no-bid contracts for Halliburton. We've seen government reports doctored - like the one on minority health disparities. And we've seen more games played with numbers during this Administration than you'd get from an Enron accountant. Tax cuts - they're free! (Yet we've got the largest deficits on record.) Employment - it's up! (Yet, we still have 1.2 million fewer jobs now than when the recession started and more workers than ever looking for work.) The uninsured - we're covering them! (Yet, 5.2 million Americans have been added to the ranks of the uninsured under President Bush's watch.)

The recent HHS Inspector General and the GAO reports on the unsavory activities of Mr. Tom Scully, the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), during the Medicare debate give us one more example of the Administration's deception of Congress and the American people.

The Administration, through former CMS Administrator Scully, covered up important cost information, particularly the fact that the bill would cost more than 500 billion dollars, that Congress should have seen prior to voting on the Medicare bill. Mr. Scully threatened the Chief Actuary with adverse consequences if he provided requested estimates to Congress, and had his underling threaten the Chief Actuary as well. All the while making sure that the White House had the real information.

Just this week, GAO issued a legal opinion stating that Mr. Scully's actions violated federal law, and is recommending that the money from the Medicare Administrator's salary which he received during these improper activities - $84,500 - be returned to the Treasury. This amendment does that.

Accountability has been lacking throughout the four years of this Bush Presidency. We need to bring accountability back to the government. And we should start right here with this Amendment offered by my colleague Rep. Stark.