[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   A TOO-MUCH-IS-NOT-ENOUGH MENTALITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the 
problem with TrumpCare.
  The problem with TrumpCare is a too-much-is-not-enough mentality: a 
too-much-is-not-enough mentality that would cause some to be willing to 
sacrifice the needy to satiate the insatiable desires of the greedy; a 
too-much-is-not-enough mentality that would allow some to rob the needy 
of healthcare to reward the rich with wealthcare--a too-much-is-not-
enough mentality.
  This too-much-is-not-enough mentality exists at a time, Mr. Speaker, 
when the very wealthy are doing very well in this country:
  The big banks are banking big bucks.
  The healthcare industry is quite healthy. In fact, last year the 
industry's net income was up $13.1 billion. That is 46 percent.
  CEOs are doing quite well. The top 10 percent CEOs are raking in 
millions, annually. Let's look at the number one person on the top 10. 
This person had an income of $98 million, up 499 percent.
  Mr. Speaker, I don't begrudge people from making money. I don't 
begrudge people from making a lot of money. I do think that they should 
all pay a fair share of taxes on that money, however. Some of them pay 
carried interest, which is not the ordinary income tax that other 
people are paying.
  Mr. Speaker, the too-much-is-not-enough mentality not only impacts 
the way people view healthcare, but it also impacts people who are 
making minimum wage. Juxtapose the person who made $98 million last 
year with the person who is making $7.25 an hour.
  By the way, all minimum wage workers are making $7.25 an hour except 
those who are in the service industry, and they make even less. $7.25 
an hour, the minimum wage has not been raised in a decade, more than 10 
years. CEOs get raises of millions, annually.
  Mr. Speaker, the too-much-is-not-enough mentality is keeping wages 
down, causing those at the top to make more and creating a chasm 
between the top and the bottom, and the middle as well; and in so 
doing, we have created a class ceiling--a class ceiling.
  Those who are in the working class are not making enough to make ends 
meet. At $7.25 an hour, you cannot afford to take care of a family. At 
$7.25 an hour, you can barely manage to take care of your needs, and 
you cannot afford healthcare.
  Those who would take a trillion dollars out of healthcare, those who 
would reward the rich with billions of dollars as a result, those who 
would do it so that they can go on to a tax plan where they will cut 
even more, those who would do this, Mr. Speaker, have a too-much-is-
not-enough mentality. It seems that they believe that the poor can do 
more with less, and that the rich need more to do more.
  I refuse to support TrumpCare. I will not support anything developed 
along the lines of too much is not enough.

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