[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 191 (Tuesday, December 13, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8744]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         VOTE AGAINST H.R. 3630

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, the Republican plan to extend the payroll 
tax is deeply flawed in many ways, but perhaps the most egregious are 
the fundamental changes it would make to some of our Nation's core 
institutions without any discussion or debate.
  It would cut unemployment insurance benefits for 1 million Americans 
and impose new restrictive limits on workers who've been laid off. It 
would require millions of seniors to pay more for health care by 
slashing funding designed to lower costs. It would roll back essential 
EPA rules to keep our air clean, and it would actually increase the 
deficit by almost $26 billion over 10 years, according to the CBO.
  The vast majority of Americans want the wealthiest to pay their fair 
share so we can get the country back on track and preserve government 
institutions. We need a reasonable solution to keep middle class tax 
cuts in place and maintain funding for Social Security.
  Republicans are saying, sure, we'll give you a tax cut, but we're 
going to slash your husband's unemployment benefits in order to pay for 
it. That's not a way for families to preserve their standard of living.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people want a government that is fair and 
just, not one that promotes economic imbalance and cynicism.
  I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R. 3630.

                          ____________________