[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 63 (Wednesday, May 14, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRESS STILL RESPONSIBLE TO DEBATE, CRAFT, AND PASS TAX BILLS

  (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I commend the hard work of our 
budget negotiators for coming to an agreement that balances the budget 
by the year 2002. It is a positive step. But let me make it perfectly 
clear, as a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, I take seriously 
my responsibilities and constitutional authority to debate, craft, and 
pass tax bills out of this committee. In no way should the President 
dictate or bind our committee as to what should and should not be in 
any tax bill. That is what the committee process and this Congress was 
designed to do.
  We will give full backing to the gentleman from Texas, Chairman 
Archer, when he says we will accept the number given to us by the 
budget negotiators and the President, but we reserve the right to craft 
the provisions that are in any tax bill that comes before the committee 
and we may make them higher in the interest of the American people. It 
is that simple.

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