[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17021]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   OUR MONEY IS WHERE OUR VALUES ARE

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, for the first time in 3 decades, the 
Federal Government projects a surplus. Congress is faced with using 
this surplus in a way that reflects our values as a Nation.
  Democrats propose that we strengthen Social Security, strengthen 
Medicare, pay down the national debt, and provide targeted tax cuts to 
middle-class families.
  Republicans want to use this surplus for a one-time tax break that 
mostly benefits the wealthy and jeopardizes our economic health.
  Our money is where our values are. The Republican tax plan will force 
deep cuts in crime, education, national defense, and risks returning 
our Nation to an era of big deficits. Medicare is a pillar of 
retirement security that provides our parents with independence and 
dignity in their later years. It says that I am willing to work for my 
mother and father and that my children are ready to work for me and for 
my husband.
  The Republican tax scheme saves not 1 penny for Medicare. It lets it 
slowly twist in the wind. This surplus should be used in a way that 
reinforces and bolsters our values. Anything less is irresponsible.

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