[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6147]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1010
                     REPUBLICAN RECONCILIATION RUSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Connolly) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, America has always been a 
nation of diverse cultures, but when faced with disasters, we come 
together in recognition of our shared values. From World War II to 9/11 
to Hurricane Katrina, Americans came together when needed.
  That's why it's so sad to see House Republicans draft a budget 
reconciliation bill that carries dangerous implications for millions of 
Americans and will fundamentally erode our shared values.
  Of course, this is nothing more than political theater because 
authorization for budget reconciliation has to pass both the House and 
Senate, which it hasn't. But that hasn't stopped the House Republican 
majority from trying to deem it to be so. Therefore, the Republican 
majority has directed six House committees to use this reconciliation 
ruse to find drastic and damaging investment cuts, not to reduce the 
deficit, mind you, but to prevent any cut in military spending which 
they originally agreed to and to give the richest 1 percent yet another 
big tax cut.
  Last year, Congress agreed, in a bipartisan fashion, after the 
majority brought us to the brink of default, to cut $2.1 trillion from 
Federal deficits, establishing automatic cuts designed to be 
universally painful to encourage us to reach an agreement on a long-
term deficit reduction proposal that more equitably spreads the burden.
  A bipartisan majority of the supercommittee, including every Senate 
Republican, did come up with just such a plan to put everything on the 
table--spending cuts, revenue increases, entitlement reform--but it 
needed a supermajority; and, sadly, every Republican House Member on 
that committee voted ``no,'' which leaves us where we are today: facing 
damaging automatic cuts to defense and nondefense spending.
  But Republican reconciliation ruses won't stop the automatic cuts to 
the Nation's seniors and disadvantaged. It doubles down on the pain.
  The Republican reconciliation ruse literally takes food out of the 
mouths of needy children and senior citizens. It eliminates social 
services block grants providing assistance to States and localities 
across the Nation to serve millions of disadvantaged Americans. It ends 
the Meals on Wheels program for 1.7 million seniors. It guts the 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food 
stamps, that serves 46 million of our fellow Americans every month. 
Under their plan, 1.8 million people would lose the most basic of 
assistance. In addition, 300,000 low-income children lose their free 
and reduced lunches at school.
  This reconciliation ruse once again singles out Federal employees for 
ever more sacrifices. Federal workers already have contributed $60 
billion to deficit reduction through a 2-year pay freeze. They've 
contributed another $15 billion through recent changes to their 
retirement system. The Ryan budget demands an additional 3-year pay 
freeze. The new proposal goes further and cuts paychecks by 5 percent 
to shift more of the burden to employees. This draconian measure would 
add another $79.8 billion in the sacrifice put on the backs of Federal 
workers, more than double the $75 billion they've already made.
  The reconciliation ruse actually will increase health care costs for 
millions of American families. It eliminates tax credits that help 
lower-income families maintain affordable health insurance premiums. In 
fact, 350,000 people will actually lose their health insurance with 
their plan.
  Of course, Mr. Speaker, the one glaring omission in the Republican 
reconciliation ruse is, not surprisingly, revenue. While millions of 
lower- and middle-income families are being forced to sacrifice, what 
do Republicans ask of the wealthiest 1 percent? Nothing.
  Over the last 4 years, oil and gas companies made a profit of $290 
billion. Private companies should make profits, and it's a good thing. 
But in that same time frame, they lobbied to keep their $16 billion in 
tax breaks, representing less than 6 percent of their profits, but it 
sure would make sure a lot of hungry kids go to bed with full bellies 
at night.
  The Ryan budget actually seeks to cut the top income tax bracket from 
35 percent to 25 percent. Who pays the current top tax bracket? Those 
making more than $388,000 each year. Not only are they not asked to 
join in any of the shared sacrifice, but they're actually offered a new 
Christmas present early, just for them.
  Mr. Speaker, it's time to call the Republican budget plan what it is: 
an outright attack on American values. How else do you explain shifting 
the burden from partisan priorities entirely to the middle class and 
those who are less fortunate? That's never been an American value.
  I urge my colleagues to reject this ruse, to reject the 
reconciliation process, and to work toward a comprehensive and 
responsible and bipartisan deficit agreement reflective of our Nation's 
values.

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