On September 6, 2000, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan strongly defended New York's Medicaid program at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. The hearing was called by Finance Committee Chairman Bill Roth (R-DE) to investigate allegations that certain states are improperly drawing down Federal Medicaid funds for non-health care purposes. Testifying at the hearing were Timothy Westmoreland, Director of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA); Kathryn G. Allen, Associate Director, U.S. General Accounting Office; and Michael F. Mangano, Principal Deputy Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While all three witnesses provided examples of alleged abuses by certain states, none implied that New York State was engaging in any improper, much less illegal, activities. Senator Moynihan praised New York's long tradition of providing a health care safety net for low-income New Yorkers and warned against any attempts to hurt New York's ability to continue to do so. Senator Moynihan also referred to a letter, written by Congressman Rick Lazio and signed by 16 bipartisan New York members of Congress, defending New York's health care programs and calling on the Clinton Administration to ensure that any regulatory changes undertaken to curtail perceived abuses do not hurt states that are spending Federal Medicaid monies on important health care programs for the poor. Congressman Lazio spearheaded another letter last month, signed by 12 GOP members of the New York delegation, reiterating their opposition to a regulatory change that might hurt New York. GNYHA has been working closely with Governor George Pataki and his staff, Senator Moynihan, Congressman Lazio, Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Charles Rangel, and other members of the New York Congressional Delegation to ensure that New York's Medicaid program is protected. GNYHA has also been working with Clinton Administration officials and HCFA to help craft a solution that would curtail existing abuses while protecting New York from unwarranted and damaging Federal Medicaid cuts. At the hearing, Mr. Westmoreland stated that it is HCFA's "fondest wish" to issue a proposed rule, with a 30-day comment period, by the end of the month.