[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 153 (Tuesday, October 28, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H9973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 PASS THE ARMED FORCES TAX FAIRNESS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, the House majority 
leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), said this, and I quote: 
``Nothing is more important in the face of war than cutting taxes.''
  As someone who represents Fort Hood in Texas where 17,000 soldiers 
have left, now fighting in Iraq, I find the gentleman's priorities to 
be somewhat bizarre. I think he is wrong, and I think the American 
people would agree that he is wrong. In a time of war, nothing is more 
important than supporting our troops and our military families.
  I find it shameful that the same majority leader who said, ``Nothing 
is more important than cutting taxes during a time of war,'' has 
actually, along with the Speaker of the House, kept bottled up right 
here in the well of the House for 7 months the Armed Forces Tax 
Fairness Act, an act that would provide some meager tax benefits for 
brave servicemen and -women and their families, including our military 
personnel now in Iraq, in Afghanistan. The same House Republican 
leadership who earlier this year fought so hard to pass a $230,000 tax 
break to American citizens making $1 million this year in dividend 
income cannot seem to say we can afford to pass a modest tax benefit 
bill for military servicemen and -women even though our Nation is at 
war.
  I find it amazing that that same House leadership today thought that 
we had enough time in the Congress to rename three post offices this 
afternoon; but they have not had time in 7 months, in 7 months, to grab 
the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act and bring it to the floor of the 
House, which they could do tomorrow and we could pass by unanimous 
consent.
  I think it sends a terrible message to our military families and to 
those in combat, in harm's way, that we can pass a $230,000 tax break 
for people making $1 million in dividend income this year sitting 
safely in their homes and offices in America, but we cannot afford or 
we cannot find time to help out a little bit with real estate tax 
benefits, with gratuity tax benefits, which we will partly deal with 
tomorrow with the Renzi-McGovern bill, but also with benefits to help 
Guardsmen and Reservists pay for the cost of their travel and overnight 
stay and meals when they are doing training for our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I think the House Republican leadership should explain 
to the American people why they would hold up the Armed Forces Tax 
Fairness Act simply because the Senate added an amendment, and then 
passed the bill unanimously, to pay for that military benefit by 
shutting the loophole on Benedict Arnolds who turn their backs on our 
country, renounce their citizenship, just to simply avoid paying 
American taxes. It seems to me that the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
DeLay) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert) should explain 
why, at least in their actions, they are saying, in effect, that 
protecting Benedict Arnolds is more important than providing tax 
benefits for our brave servicemen and -women.
  Now, I commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) and the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern). I think the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) originally introduced this bill back in 
September, but I commend the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi) for his 
leadership tomorrow on the bill to provide increased death benefit 
gratuities, as someone who just received two death notices from Fort 
Hood soldiers in my district today. That is the right thing to do, 
although, frankly, I am not sure we should be too proud of the fact 
that we are increasing the military death combat benefit to surviving 
family members to $12,000. Families whose loved ones lost their lives 
in the September 11 tragedy received on average over $1 million from 
various sources, and yet we are increasing the death gratuity to 
$12,000.
  Now, even that death gratuity benefit, as important as it is, and I 
will vote for it and we will probably pass it unanimously tomorrow; but 
let us keep it in perspective. If we assume approximately 300 deaths so 
far in the Iraqi war and in Afghanistan and in that whole combat arena, 
that is going to cost the American taxpayers about $1.8 million, 
million. Yet the House Committee on Ways and Means today found time and 
the affordability to pass a $40 billion tax cut to multinational 
corporations and, overall, a $60 billion tax cut.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass the Armed Forces Tax Fairness Act. Our 
servicemen and women deserve no less.

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