[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 16, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H4966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 SIMPLE ARITHMETIC: TAX BREAKS FOR THE WEALTHY PROVIDED BY BUDGET CUTS

  (Mr. VOLKMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VOLKMER. Mr. Speaker, and people back in the Ninth District, 
those who I talked to while I was out there, it is flim-flam time. You 
heard the Republicans on the other side say they are not cutting 
Medicare. CBO says they are cutting Medicare. They say the increase 
they give is far below the level that is estimated that is needed to 
maintain the current level of Medicare benefits required under current 
law. They say ``Yes, we are increasing it,'' but what about all the 
other people, for current beneficiaries, they say, ``What about all the 
other people that are coming?''
  Mr. Speaker, if you take the tax break, the big tax break out of the 
budget, out of their budget, there is no need to cut Medicare one 
penny. There is no need to cut student loans, there is no need to cut 
agriculture and veterans' benefits, there is no need to do those 
things. They are doing it in order to give tax breaks to the wealthy.
  It is very simple arithmetic. We had a gentleman there talk about 
classrooms. Yes, do the arithmetic. Take the tax break for the wealthy 
out of the budget and see what that equals. That equals more than the 
Medicare cuts for the elderly and the agriculture cuts and the student 
loan cuts.


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