    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [September 29, 2007]
    [Pages 1253-1254]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    September 29, 2007

        Good morning. Today I am signing emergency legislation to fund the
    Federal Government for the next 7 weeks. This legislation was necessary
    because Congress failed in its most basic responsibility to pass the
    spending bills that fund the day-to-day operations of the Government.
    There are 12 of these bills this year, and Congress did not complete a
    single one of them, so Congress had to send me a stopgap measure before
    the fiscal year ends this Sunday at midnight.
        Congress's failure to pass these 12 spending bills is disappointing,
    but I do thank the Congress for passing this temporary measure and for
    passing it without any new spending, new policies, or new projects. It
    would have been wrong to deny essential Government services to the
    American people while Congress works through its annual spending bills.
        I also appreciate the way this bill handles our disagreements over
    the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Congressional leaders
    have put forward an irresponsible plan that would dramatically expand
    this program beyond its original intent. And they know I will veto it.
    But it is good that they kept the program running while they try to work
    out a more responsible approach.
        Congress now has more time to complete its work on its annual
    spending bills. Earlier this year, congressional leaders promised to
    show that they could be responsible with the people's money.
    Unfortunately, they seem to have chosen the path of higher spending.
    They have proposed spending increases that would add an extra $205
    billion on top of my administration's budget request over the next 5
    years. There's only one way to pay for such a large spending increase,
    and that is to raise taxes on the American people. So it is no surprise
    that the same Members of Congress who are planning this big increase in
    Federal spending are also planning the biggest tax increase in American
    history.
        If these Members get their way, the tax relief my administration
    delivered could be taken away from you. Let me explain what this would
    mean for an average taxpayer.

    [[Page 1254]]

    If you have children, your taxes would rise by $500 for each child. If
    you're a family of four making $60,000 a year, your taxes would be more
    than $1,800 higher. If you're a single mother with two children working
    to make ends meet, your taxes would go up by more than $1,000. If you're
    a small-business owner working to meet a payroll, your taxes would
    increase by almost $4,000. And if Congress allows our tax relief to
    expire, more than 5 million low-income Americans who currently pay no
    income taxes would once again have to pay taxes.
        These are not the only taxes Congress wants to raise. They're
    proposing higher taxes on dividends and capital gains. They're proposing
    higher taxes on cigars and cigarettes. They're proposing to raise taxes
    on domestic oil and natural gas production. They're proposing new taxes
    on stock and bond transactions. And they refuse to make the Internet tax
    moratorium permanent. If this tax ban expires, it would open the doors
    for State and local officials to impose new taxes on your access to the
    Internet.
        At a time when many American families are dealing with rising
    mortgage rates, college costs, and health care expenses, it is wrong to
    take even more money out of your paychecks. Washington's elected leaders
    can do better. By working together, we can keep taxes low, help keep the
    economy growing, balance the Federal budget, and build on our record of
    fiscal discipline and greater economic opportunity for all Americans.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 9:35 a.m. on September 28 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September
    29. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on September 28, but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. In his address, the President referred to Public Law 110-92,
    approved September 29. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
    Spanish language transcript of this address.