[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 21 (Thursday, February 2, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H1075]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COUPLE LINE-ITEM VETO WITH ELIMINATION OF TAX GIVEAWAYS
  (Mr. GUTIERREZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, today we will begin an important bill 
that once again my friends on the other side of the aisle have almost 
gotten right. Giving the President the line-item veto authority is 
important but again the bill we are debating today omits an element 
critical to making this legislation true and effective. They are more 
than willing to allow the President to eliminate spending, but they 
seem to be more than a little nervous about allowing the President to 
eliminate unfair tax giveaways. I want our President to stand against 
wasteful spending. But he should also be able to stand up against 
unfair tax breaks for the wealthy and the privileged.
  If the President can eliminate spending with the stroke of a pen, let 
us give him the authority to eliminate tax giveaways that cheat working 
people, drain our treasury, and pile up our debt with that very same 
pen.
  If my colleagues are serious about this reform, let us make it a 
serious reform that addresses our serious problems, not a pretend 
reform hiding a huge tax loophole for the powerful and the privileged.


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