[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 29, 2010

  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, during the vote on H.R. 5618, the 
Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2010, I was 
unavoidably detained--had I been present I would have voted against 
this legislation.
  Americans are struggling to make ends meet in this economy and while 
I support giving unemployment benefits to people who lost their jobs, 
it is irresponsible for this Congress to add $34 billion to the 
national debt to do so. This legislation should have been paid for with 
cuts to other programs. Last week the Treasury Department quietly 
announced that the estimated total debt for fiscal year 2010 will reach 
$13.6 trillion, equal to 93.1 percent of our Gross Domestic Product. 
With the European Union in the midst of a sovereign debt crisis, this 
is the wrong time to add to our already staggering national debt.
  Had I been present for the vote on H.R. 5623, the Homebuyers 
Assistance and Improvement Act of 2010, I would have voted in favor of 
this legislation. Unlike H.R. 5618, the cost of this legislation is 
fully offset. The homebuyer tax credit has been very successful, and 
after its expiration on April 30th, home sales dropped by more than 30 
percent. Extending this credit by 90 days and fully offsetting its cost 
is a responsible course of action I fully support.

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