[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 22 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         EXTEND PAYROLL TAX CUT

  (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I rise today because I believe this 
Congress needs to stop playing blame games and start working together 
to reignite the American Dream by helping our Nation's small businesses 
and entrepreneurs and empowering a thriving middle class.
  Small businesses are the pulse of the American enterprise and the 
creators of jobs and economic growth up and down Main Streets across 
the United States of America. Entrepreneurs are the dreamers, movers, 
shakers, and builders that help take ideas and inventions and turn them 
into the manufacturing jobs of the future.
  And a thriving middle class, well, that's the underpinning of support 
to make reigniting the American Dream even possible. A strong middle 
class leads to a strong America. The best functioning democracies 
around the world share one thing in common--a thriving middle class.
  So, Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to enact 
policies and legislation that achieve these ends: to reignite the 
American Dream by building up our small businesses, encouraging our 
entrepreneurs, and empowering our middle class. We can start by 
extending the payroll tax cut for the remainder of the year without 
delay and without games.
  I look forward to continuing to work toward these ends throughout the 
year.

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