[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 196 (Monday, December 19, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2309-E2310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          MIDDLE CLASS TAX RELIEF AND JOB CREATION ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2011

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the so-
called Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (H.R. 3630). The 
title of this bill is misleading at best. H.R. 3630 does not create 
jobs or relieve the struggles of the middle class. Instead, it 
drastically reduces federal benefits for the unemployed and slashes 
health care funding by over $17 billion. Moreover, it contains highly 
partisan and controversial policy riders that would have no chance of 
becoming law if considered under regular order.
  Let me be clear. Congress must extend the payroll tax cut and offset 
the extension responsibly. Federal unemployment benefits, in their 
current form, must be extended before the end of the year. We must 
prevent a 27.4 percent cut to Medicare physician payments that 
jeopardize seniors' access to necessary health services. Action is 
urgently needed to address these issues. However, the House Republican 
proposal before us today unjustly places the burden of paying for these 
fixes on those in our society who can least afford it: the unemployed, 
low-income families, and seniors.
  In this bill, House Republicans cut the weeks of unemployment 
insurance by more than half: from 99 to 59 weeks. Over 43,000 out-of-
work Minnesotans will lose unemployment insurance as a result of this 
change. This is economically counter-productive and morally wrong. This 
provision will do real harm to Minnesota families and undermine our 
fragile economic recovery. The result of this cut would be more 
foreclosures, more repossessions, more homelessness and more anguish 
for struggling mothers, fathers and children.
  Remarkably, my Republican colleagues are heaping insult on this 
injury by inserting a provision to allow drug testing of applicants for 
unemployment insurance. Notably, this provision does not apply to the 
millions of Americans who receive federal funding through other 
programs and tax benefits. With this ridiculous provision, Republicans 
are telling millions of unemployed Americans they are untrustworthy and 
irresponsible. Republicans are choosing to waste taxpayer funds on a 
big-government drug testing program instead of providing much-needed 
support to families struggling with unemployment. I could not disagree 
more with the shameful priorities expressed through the inclusion of 
this provision.
  H.R. 3630 also cuts more than $17 billion in federal funding from 
hospitals and health providers. This cut will reduce reimbursements for

[[Page E2310]]

outpatient services, cut payments for unpaid health care debts, shrink 
the prevention and public health fund, and impose an increase in 
Medicare Part B premiums for certain beneficiaries. These cuts threaten 
to restrict access of low-income Minnesotans and seniors to needed 
health care services.
  The House Republican majority had other options for offsetting the 
costs of H.R. 3630. Among those options was a small and temporary 
increase on the amount of taxes paid by those Americans least affected 
by the Great Recession. House Democrats will attempt to improve H.R. 
3630 today during floor debate by replacing cuts to health care and 
unemployment insurance with a 3.6 percent surcharge on incomes over $1 
million a year. At a time when income inequality in America is at an 
all-time high, this is a necessary step to restore economic fairness 
and opportunity. I will support this motion when it comes to a vote 
this afternoon.
  This Democratic motion is also important because it includes language 
requiring Members of Congress to publicly disclose their personal 
trading activity in the stock market. Increasing transparency to 
prevent Members of Congress from inappropriately profiting from insider 
knowledge is a common-sense reform that should be immediately enacted. 
If these improvements to H. R. 3630 are not included, I urge my 
colleagues to join me in opposing the legislation.
  This bill is likely to be a missed opportunity for true compromise. 
It does important things, such as extending the payroll tax cut for 160 
million Americans and preventing a 27.4 percent cut to Minnesota 
physician reimbursements with a two-year fix. In addition, it extends 
the physician work geographic adjustment, which ensures Minnesota 
providers are not additionally penalized by the Medicare payment 
system. Yet, the decision to pay for these measures with cuts to 
seniors, low-income families and unemployed Americans was entirely 
avoidable and thus, completely unacceptable.

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