[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17952]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       AVOIDING THE FISCAL CLIFF

  (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I wonder if anybody 
is listening. The message from the American people is loud and clear: 
extend the middle class tax cuts now. Republican leadership is holding 
hostage tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small 
businesses to give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. 
Democratic Members of Congress have commonsense solutions, and we can't 
wait around any longer as real proposals languish while the House GOP 
gets its act together.
  I, along with 181 of my colleagues, have signed the discharge 
petition to automatically bring to the House floor the Senate-passed 
middle class tax cuts which the President has said he will sign 
immediately. This could be an opportunity for us to work together, 
resolve some of our differences, and offer the American people the kind 
of Congress they want: working together.

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