[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 23346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                              {time}  1015

   THE EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT FOR LOW- AND MODERATE-INCOME WORKING 
                    AMERICANS SHOULD NOT BE DELAYED

  (Mr. TIERNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

  Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Speaker, it appears that our Republican colleagues, 
the Republican Party leadership, have a real dilemma on their hands. 
After forcing through Congress a budget resolution that we already knew 
was simply unrealistic and that in order to implement it it would 
require disastrous reductions in programs for the needy and others, 
they are desperate to find some additional funds to finish the 
appropriations process so they can limp out of town.

  Well, what to do when one needs to come up with a quick eight or nine 
billion dollars? According to the Republican leadership, the plan goes 
like this: Their plan is to find the money and pass the appropriations 
bills by delaying payment of the earned income tax credit to 20 million 
low- and moderate-income working American families. That is right. They 
want to delay payment of the earned income tax credit to 20 million 
low- and moderate-income working Americans. That means that the only 
Americans who would bear the burden of delaying the tax refunds are 
those whose earnings permit them a refund so they can afford to commute 
to work, for their jobs to keep clothes on the children and to feed 
their families.

  Is there anyone who really believes that the most intelligent way to 
raise money to cover the shortfalls called for in the failed Republican 
budget is to make more money from low- to moderate-income taxpayers? I 
truly hope not.

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