[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 116 (Thursday, September 9, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H8004-H8005]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE REPUBLICAN PLAN IS OUT OF STEP WITH AMERICAN VALUES

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, American working families today want to 
use the budget surplus in a responsible way that protects, strengthens 
Medicare and Social Security, that pays down the debt. The Republican 
plan is out of step with American values. It does nothing to extend 
Social Security by a single day. It dedicates not one penny to 
Medicare. It would force deep cuts in education, crime fighting, and 
national defense.
  But let me tell my colleagues there is a quote from one of my 
Republican colleagues that sums up their views about working families, 
and I quote: The American people are not too enthusiastic about a tax-
cut package because

[[Page H8005]]

 most of them are not paying taxes, and the top 1 percent of America 
earns 70 percent of all income and pays 32 percent of all taxes. The 
bottom 50 percent of America's income earners only pay collectively 4.8 
percent of the taxes, so it is not surprising that they are not going 
to benefit.

                              {time}  1030

  They do not want a tax cut. Not paying taxes? Not paying taxes? You 
talk to working families in this country today and find out whether or 
not they are paying taxes. They want and need targeted tax breaks. They 
also need to have Social Security and Medicare extended on their 
behalf.

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