[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 82 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H5040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   EXPANSION OF THE CHILD TAX CREDIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues today to 
support the expansion of the child tax credit, a goal that was 
unfortunately not met as part of the $350 billion tax cut that we 
passed just last month. While some have argued that there was simply no 
room in that bill for a more comprehensive child tax credit, I still 
believe that our commitment to meeting the basic needs of our children 
should never be compromised. One out of every six children under the 
age of 17 lives with parents who will never see the benefit of the 
child tax credit that passed as part of last month's tax package.
  And, Mr. Speaker, who are the parents of these children? They are 
hard-working Americans. They pay Federal taxes, and they do the very 
best they can to provide for their families. Yet we have chosen to 
ignore them to accommodate tax breaks for those who are far less likely 
to reinvest them back into our stalled economy or to rely upon that 
money to carry them into their next paycheck.
  To address this glaring inequity, I cosponsored legislation to extend 
the tax credit to the families of 19 million children left out of the 
last tax bill. This bill, which was sponsored by the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Rangel), would also expand these tax privileges to many of 
the families, many of the families of the courageous military personnel 
serving in Iraq and other combat zones. These patriotic men and women 
have sacrificed precious time with their own families to protect ours, 
and I believe that this is the very least that we can do to show them 
our respect and our appreciation.
  We have spoken virtuously of their selfless actions overseas; yet 
when we have an opportunity to match those actions with anything more 
than words, we are AWOL. We are AWOL.
  Clearly, we recognize how critical it is to provide families with the 
resources they need to ensure the well-being of their children. Yet we 
have failed to follow through on our good intentions by leaving out 
those who need this help the very most.
  Interestingly enough, today marks National Hunger Awareness Day, and 
in this country there are nearly 16 million children who ate free or 
reduced-priced lunches through the School Lunch Program last year. Many 
of these children, however, cannot rely on such consistent or well-
balanced meals during the summertime when school has adjourned.
  I would encourage us all to keep this in mind with summer just weeks 
away and schools already beginning to close their doors because, Mr. 
Speaker, there could not be a more appropriate time to expand the child 
tax credit to the families of these children.

                              {time}  1715

  As a parent and a grandparent, I personally feel, and I believe that 
all of my colleagues feel, that all children are important; that no 
matter how much their parents make, that they are important. That is 
why I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting legislation that 
treats them this way.

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