[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 26 (Thursday, March 10, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 10, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     PUTTING FAMILIES FIRST BUDGET

  (Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, this week Congress will have the 
opportunity to vote on the Republican alternative to President 
Clinton's budget plan, entitled ``Putting Families First.'' Putting 
Families First combines two traditional Republican principles--pro-
family tax relief and deficit reduction. The 1990 budget deal with 
Congress brought on $158 billion in new taxes for Americans. President 
Clinton's 1993 budget deal with Congress imposed $240 billion in new 
taxes, including higher income taxes, higher Medicare payroll taxes, 
and the new 4.3 cent-per-gallon gasoline tax, among many other levies.
  America needs not only deficit reduction but a different plan than 
the one that has led it to years of misguided tax increases. During the 
last four decades, the Federal income tax burden on a family of four 
has increased by over 250 percent as a share of family income. Senior 
citizens are penalized for supplementing their income by working and 
now face a punitive surtax on their savings and pensions. Finally, 
investors, entrepreneurs, and risk takers have had their incentive 
reduced by excessive taxation of capital and income.
  The Kasich plan delivers what President Clinton could only promise; a 
middle-class tax cut. It does not simply shift spending from one 
program to another, it takes the necessary step of cutting spending.

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