[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 43 (Wednesday, April 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          PRIORITIES: VETERANS, BANKRUPTCY, AND THE ESTATE TAX

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to comment on 
the Republicans' priorities. Many of them talk about protecting 
veterans and making sure that veterans have the support they need when 
they return from protecting this country's freedom in Iraq.
  Today the House passed H.R. 8 to make permanent the repeal of the 
estate tax. This bill will cost the American taxpayers $295 billion 
over the next 10 years. The cost on the first 2 years could go as high 
as $1 trillion.
  This bill gives a tax break to the wealthiest three-tenths of 1 
percent of estates, while imposing a new capital gains tax on most of 
us, including small business owners and farmers. At the same time, the 
Republicans passed a budget that calls for $800 million in cuts to the 
VA over the next 5 years.
  Clearly, the Republicans are attempting to balance the budget on the 
backs of the veterans.
  Tomorrow, this same House will vote on bankruptcy legislation that 
does not protect our veterans. Many of our servicemembers, especially 
the citizen soldiers of the Guard and the Reserve forces, face terrible 
financial problems because they do not qualify for a narrow protection 
of debt incurred while on duty if S. 256 becomes law.
  Since 9/11, approximately half a million Reservists and Guardsmen 
have been called to active duty, some more than once. Hundreds of 
thousands of Reservists and National Guardsmen are currently activated 
in support of the ongoing military operations. According to the 
National Guard, four out of 10 members of the National Guard and 
Reservist forces lose income when they leave their civilian jobs for 
active duty.
  The people of this country need to see what policies the Republicans 
actually vote for. They talk the talk very well, but they do not walk 
the walk or roll the roll for our veterans who have sacrificed their 
bodies for this Nation.
  Today, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), our ranking member, 
filed a bill for mental health for our veterans. It is clear that they 
are slipping through the cracks, and we need to focus our attention on 
how to assist veterans returning from the war, whether it is economic, 
whether it is health care, or whether it is to make sure that they have 
their jobs and have a seamless transition.
  We need to do more than talk the talk. We need to make sure that our 
money follows all of this rhetoric we have on the floor constantly 
about how we support the veterans. It should not be just talk, but it 
should be our actions.

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