[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             WHERE DOES DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP STAND ON TAXES?

  (Mr. CHABOT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, President Clinton ran on a middle-class 
tax cut back in 1992. However, once in office, he raised taxes by a 
record amount; in fact, the largest tax increase in American history.
  The tax increase would have continued, but in 1994 the American 
people elected the first Republican majority in the House of 
Representatives in 40 years. Republicans then forced the President to 
accept a tax cut, a tax cut he did not want and a tax cut that was 
ardently opposed by his folks here in the House, the Democrats.
  So where does the Democratic leadership, who so desperately want to 
take back the House of Representatives, stand on taxes? Well, on a tour 
promoting his new book, A Better Place, just the other day, the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the leader of the Democrats in 
the House said, and it has been quoted before but I think it bears 
hearing it again, ``You've got to have a combination of taking it out 
of the defense budget and raising revenue.'' In other words taxes. ``We 
can argue about how to do that, closing loopholes or even raising taxes 
to do it.''
  Well, there it is: Cut defense and raise taxes. That is not my idea 
of a better place.

                          ____________________