[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E835]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              CONTRACT WITH AMERICA TAX RELIEF ACT OF 1995

                                 ______

                               speech of

                         HON. WILLIAM P. LUTHER

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 1995
       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1215) to 
     amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to strengthen the 
     American family and create jobs:

  Mr. LUTHER. Mr. Chairman, as a new Member of the House of 
Representatives, I wish to explain my opposition to the GOP tax 
proposal.
  For me, the most important issue is not tax fairness or the question 
of good tax cuts versus bad tax cuts. Many other Members have made 
those arguments with eloquence and insight.
  There are plenty of reasons to vote ``no'' on this bill. But for me, 
the best reason to vote ``no'' is the impact this legislation will have 
on our efforts to reduce the deficit.
  The proponents of this package have argued that the tax breaks they 
want to create are paid for with spending cuts--and they may well be. 
But that's not the problem.
  The problem is that you can't use the same spending cut twice. If you 
use a spending cut to pay for a tax break, you can't use it to reduce 
the deficit.
  And reducing the deficit must come first.
  For years the national debt has paralyzed our Nation. It has 
prevented us from dealing with critical issues that will impact our 
competitiveness as a Nation well into the next century. Past efforts to 
deal with the deficit have largely failed and our debt now stands at 
$4.8 trillion.
  Whether we are Democrats or Republicans, we shouldn't risk losing the 
opportunity we have today to reduce the deficit now and get on the 
glide path to a balanced budget. Our economy is strong, productivity is 
up and there is a growing consensus among the public and Members of 
Congress favoring deficit reduction. Our country's future is too 
important to let this opportunity pass.
  We should capitalize on the momentum we have today by reducing the 
deficit and finally putting this paralyzing issue behind us so that we 
can begin focusing on the many other issues affecting our Nation's 
future.
  Mr. Speaker, I came to this Congress to work with Democrats and 
Republicans to solve the problems facing this country for the people I 
represent. I've voted for 10 of the 22 items we've voted on in the 
Contract With America so far so I'd have no hesitation in supporting 
this bill if it was a good idea like some of the other ideas in the 
contract.
  But this is not a good idea at this time. There is just too much risk 
for our country.


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