[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 39 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H1065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TAX RELIEF AND A BUDGET FOR EVERY FAMILY

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, this week the House Committee on the Budget 
will take the first step towards passing the budget for fiscal year 
2002. Our budget is a bold and responsible statement that places the 
concerns of hard-working American families ahead of the concerns of the 
Washington bureaucracy.
  With budget surpluses in Washington, we have an opportunity to shore 
up Social Security, protect Medicare, pay down our record amount of 
debt, and provide relief from enormously high tax burdens.
  Federal taxes are the highest they have ever been since World War II. 
When you combine the overall tax burden of local, State, and Federal 
governments, plus the cost of regulations, folks are giving almost half 
of what they make back to their government. This is unacceptable and 
needs to be changed.
  Without a doubt, working Americans need a break. This is not the time 
for politicians in Washington to point fingers of blame at the current 
state of the economy. We must rise above the partisan bickering and 
pass legislation that will provide immediate and meaningful relief to 
hard-working American families.

                          ____________________