[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 131 (Friday, October 1, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H9239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           ALTERING TAX CREDIT FOR WORKING FAMILIES IS WRONG

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, while I have not heard many cries of Happy 
New Year or singing of Auld Lang Syne, today is New Year's day for the 
Federal fiscal year. This is day number one, and we find ourselves in 
this new year with the Government being able to operate only because a 
stop-gap emergency measure was approved earlier this week.
  As we begin this new year, the Federal Government is supposed to have 
some 13 appropriation bills approved for its normal operation. Fewer 
than half of those at this late date have even been sent to the 
President. The measure that funds all of our Federal education 
programs, our health research, a number of other very important 
programs for seniors, and for Americans of all ages, that bill has not 
even been presented for consideration on the floor of this House, much 
less sent to the President.
  I have just come from a press conference with the Concord Coalition 
with the national debt clock, which displays by the second how the 
national debt continues to rise. Billions of dollars of new national 
debt are being incurred as we fail in the Congress to deal responsibly 
with our budget.
  Instead of responsibility, what we have seen throughout this year has 
been one budget gimmick after another. We have had more budget 
emergencies designated here, I think more emergencies than the EMS has 
to deal with; the census being declared an emergency; an emergency on 
fuel assistance, since it still turns hot in the summer and cold in the 
winter, as it always has. All these gimmicks just like the proposal to 
go to a 13-month Federal fiscal year are designed solely to circumvent 
the spending limitations established in the Balanced Budget agreement.
  This year the Republicans have dipped some $18 billion into the 
Social Security Trust Fund just to fund the measures that they 
themselves have advanced this year without even getting to their 
irresponsible tax bill.
  Particularly indicative of the problems that we have been dealing 
with in this Congress is what has happened just within the last 24 
hours. The latest of these gimmicks is to turn to the working poor in 
this country, the starting police officer or teacher, the fast-food 
worker, the nursing home worker, those who earn an earned income tax 
credit and get a tax refund at the end of the year as an incentive to 
continue working and providing for their families.
  The Republicans voted yesterday in committee and plan to present 
perhaps as early as this next week a deferral of that earned income tax 
credit. Instead of providing it to the folks that are working hard to 
make ends meet, they want to defer it. They have had the audacity to 
suggest that this gimmick to gain $8 billion right out of the hides of 
working families; the Republicans defended that in the Washington Post 
this week saying their plan ``would encourage better monthly planning 
for the beneficiaries.''
  They want better monthly planning for the nurse who is looking 
forward to that tax refund in order to make a down payment on a car, 
for the police officer that is looking forward to that money to pay for 
her child's tuition.
  I think that that is wrong, and I am pleased to see within the last 
few hours that another person who thinks it is wrong is Governor George 
Bush of Texas, who said ``I don't think they ought to balance their 
budget on the backs of the poor.'' Another Texan responded to that, an 
indication of the problems we have here in this House.
  The majority whip, my colleague from Texas (Mr. DeLay), is reported 
to have said ``It is obvious that Governor Bush needs a little 
education on how Congress works. I don't think he knew what he was 
talking about.'' I happen to believe that when you choose between these 
two Texas Republicans, Governor Bush has the better of it, and the 
American people will have the worst of it, if this Congress proceeds 
next week to balance the budget on the backs of those people who are 
there working hard trying to make ends meet, entitled to receive this 
earned income tax credit, House Republicans would deny working families 
from receiving that refund on a timely basis in the way that they have 
in prior years in what even Ronald Reagan called one of the ``most 
effective anti-poverty programs we have,'' the earned income tax 
credit. Because of their irresponsibility, because of their failure to 
budget in a proper and timely way, Republicans have turned to this 
gimmick.
  Mr. Speaker, let us hope the House will reject it next week.

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