[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 197 (Tuesday, December 12, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H14260-H14261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1315
            BUDGET ROBS STRUGGLING FAMILIES TO PAY THE RICH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Olver] is recognized 
during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. OLVER. Mr. Speaker, in last month's continuing resolution 
agreement, Republicans and the President committed to a balanced budget 
which would include, and I quote, ``tax policies to help working 
families.'' However, by cutting the earned-income tax credit, the 
Republicans' balanced budget plan raises taxes on over 12 million 

[[Page H14261]]
working families whose income is less than $30,000 per year.
  Now, the Republicans like to give the impression that all earned-
income tax credit recipients are so poor that they do not pay income 
taxes, and therefore, do not deserve a tax credit, however much such 
people in such low-income working categories need it. Mr. Speaker, that 
is simply not true.
  The Republican budget actually targets tax increases to millions of 
working families who do pay income taxes, taxes that are withheld from 
their hard-earned paychecks.
  Now, the Republicans also claim that their $500-per-child tax credit 
makes up for their cuts to the earned-income tax credit, but that is 
not true either. Even with the child credit, the Republican plan leaves 
over 7 million families poorer.
  Now, that is not a tax policy that helps families; it is one that 
drives them toward poverty. It does not protect children; it threatens 
them. And it does not live up to the continuing resolution agreement; 
it violates that agreement.
  The Republicans even had to violate their own House rule requiring a 
three-fifths majority to raise taxes in order to pass these tax 
increases.
  It was all to give $245 billion in tax breaks that go mostly to the 
fewer than 10 percent of the wealthiest Americans who make more than 
$100,000 a year, tax breaks so large that they actually cause the 
deficit to go up in the first 2 years of the Republican plan, and then, 
after 7 years, the tax break explodes as far as the eye can see.
  So do not believe the Republican plan when they say they have to 
raise taxes on working families to balance the budget. It is 
unnecessary. It is unfair. It is wrong, so we should not do it.
  The Republicans should live up to their agreement to support a budget 
that does not rob struggling families to pay the rich.

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