[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11455]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HOUSE DEMOCRATS RESTORE FISCAL SANITY TO D.C. BY PASSING BUDGET THAT IS 
                            BALANCED BY 2012

  (Mr. HARE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, this week the House will vote on a final 
budget conference agreement that charts a new way forward for our 
country. It is the first budget agreement reached in an election year 
since the Clinton administration and restores fiscal sanity to a 
process that has been out of control since President Bush came to 
Washington in 2001. Unlike past Republican budgets, our budget returns 
to surplus in 2012.
  The new budget makes investments in energy, education, and 
infrastructure, while also providing tax relief to middle class 
families. The agreement does not include any new tax increases. In 
fact, it does support significant tax relief for middle class families, 
including extension of marriage penalty tax relief, the child tax 
credit, and the continuation of the 10 percent tax bracket. It also 
includes an additional year of the alternative minimum tax relief.
  The budget also ensures that veterans get the quality health care 
they need and protects our homeland. It also rejects cuts proposed by 
the President to important first responder programs like the COPS 
program.
  Madam Speaker, this budget deserves strong bipartisan support.

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