[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 13, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               ECONOMIC GROWTH AND TAX RELIEF ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2001

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, this massive tax plan is not balanced, not 
fair, not honest, not bipartisan, and not responsible.
  It will spend down every penny of our hard-won surplus before we have 
ensured the future of Social Security and Medicare. It will deprive 
working Americans of the help they need and deserve. It will imperil 
our capacity to improve education, health care, and the environment. It 
relies on accounting gimmicks and rosy forecasts. And it places at risk 
a decade of unprecedented prosperity.
  Apparently, the Republican leadership knows it. Why else would they 
ram through this tax plan before we even have a budget in place, and 
without the serious analysis the American people expect and deserve?
  Frankly, this is the administration's first big test of its stated 
commitment to bring about a new, bipartisan tone in Washington, and, as 
one who believes in bipartisanship, I am sorry to say that it has 
failed that test completely.
  Instead of rewarding a select few at the expense of others, let's 
give generous tax cuts to the families who need it most, while paying 
down the debt and investing in our future. That's the right approach. I 
urge my colleagues to vote no on this massive giveaway, and vote yes on 
the Democratic alternative.

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