[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     ASSISTANCE FOR AMERICA'S POOR

  (Mr. MARKEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans have decided not to bring 
the bill to the House floor today which would slash Medicaid, slash 
programs for student loans, slash programs for poor people because many 
conservatives say they are not cutting enough programs for poor people, 
all to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. All to protect 
tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. And what is the excuse they 
have used? Hurricane Katrina.
  That is why they must cut more programs for poor people, because they 
do not want to cut the tax cuts, and now they want to delay because 
Hurricane Wilma is on the way, and the Republicans are saying, Let us 
wait until the weekend is over and see how big that hurricane is, and 
then we will be able to cut more programs for poor people, more 
programs for those most in need in our society, rather than touching 
those tax breaks for the wealthiest in our country.
  Mr. Speaker, hurricanes are the greatest friend conservative 
Republicans ever had to hurt the poorest people in the country and 
protect the wealthiest.

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