Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast votes on the following legislative measures due to family medical reasons. If I were present for roll call votes, I would have voted No for the following votes: Roll 35, January 19, 2018: On Motion to Table, H. Res. 705, Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, of high misdemeanors; Roll 36, January 19, 2018: On Passage, H.R. 4712, Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act; Roll 37, January 19, 2018: On Motion to Adjourn; Roll 38, January 20, 2018: On Ordering a Call of the House; Roll 40, January 20, 2018: On Tabling Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair, H. Res. 708, Waiving a Requirement of Clause 6(A) of Rule XIII with Respect to Consideration of Certain Resolutions Reported from the Committee on Rules, and Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules; Roll 41, January 20, 2018: On Ordering the Previous Question, H. Res. 708, Waiving a Requirement of Clause 6(A) of Rule XIII with Respect to Consideration of Certain Resolutions Reported from the Committee on Rules, and Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules; and Roll 42, January 20, 2018: on Agreeing to the Resolution, H. Res. 708, Waiving a Requirement of Clause 6(A) of Rule XIII with Respect to Consideration of Certain Resolutions Reported from the Committee on Rules, and Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules.

I would have voted Present for the following vote: Roll 39, January 20, 2018: On Call of the House.

I would have voted Aye for the following vote: Roll 43, January 20, 2018: On Motion to Fix the Convening Time.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute

to a dear friend, Justice William Cousins, who passed away a couple days ago at the age of 90.

Bill was a former member of the Chicago City Council, called an independent alderman; a circuit court judge; and an appellate court justice who always sought fairness. He was a gentleman, a scholar, and a Harvard graduate. I commend him for his public service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for anchoring this session, and all of those who have come to join in it.

I read someplace the other day where there are three men in this country who own as much of the wealth as 50 percent of all the poorest people in this country. If it were not for organized labor, not for unions, and the influence, millions of individuals who are middle class would be working at peon wages. Individuals would not be able to send their children to college, wouldn't be able to own an automobile or a home. So we can never undermine or not understand the value of organization.

Many of us in this room enjoy the support of organized labor. You have got to get resources from somewhere. You have got to get money in order to function.

If you cannot match what the big megabucks individuals can give to maintain control of our society, how do you expect to change it?

So I am simply pleased to join with my colleagues and suggest that nothing is more important in the distribution and redistribution of the wealth of this country than organized labor.

Mr. Speaker, think of Robin Hood in reverse: take from the poor and give to the rich.

When you take away social safety net programs and when you take away Medicare and Medicaid, then it reminds me of Marie Antoinette. When the people had no bread, she said: Let them eat cake.

I was opposed to this before it was released, I was opposed yesterday, I will be opposed tomorrow, and I will be opposed next week. It is no good for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate George and Ruthie Edwards on their 50th Anniversary this Christmas Eve, December 24, 2017. Marriage is one of the oldest institutions ordained by God; and George and Ruthie have proven to have endured fifty years as proof. George and Ruthie married in 1967 before his deployment to the Vietnam War in 1968. Upon his return from war, the Edwards' were blessed with five children; the late George, Jr., Vincent, Tomika, Yul and Corinthia. In addition, George and Ruthie are the proud grandparents of Jasmine, Devan, Danielle, London, Jordan and great- grandparents of Carter & K.T. Edwards.

George retired from the Georgia Pacific Corporation and Ruthie retired from the Texas Independent School District. They both are faithful, life-long members of the New Zion Baptist Church, spending countless hours in church-related activities to improve the New Town community. They enjoy traveling, spending time with family and friends, eating out at local restaurants and most importantly reading the Bible.

With age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes truth. Many years ago I recall some friends saying to me, ``to keep a marriage brimming, with love in the loving cup; whenever you are wrong--admit it; whenever you are right--shut up!'' I am most certain; every married couple understands this philosophy.

I congratulate you on achieving this milestone and wish you many years of happiness and joy in the future.

Mr. Speaker, any way you cut it, with this bill, the rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, and middle class families will get shafted. Thirteen million Americans will lose their health coverage, and people with preexisting conditions can forget it.

Then the writers of this bill will be coming after entitlement programs, after Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, SSI. We are down to the wire, and no matter what is said, this bill raises the debt, raises taxes on middle-income families, and provides wealthy individuals and corporations with big tax cuts they don't need.

It is a sad day for my district; it is a sad day for the State of Illinois; it is a sad day for the United States of America; and I will vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank Representative LaHood for organizing this opportunity for all of us from Illinois to talk about the greatness of our State.

We have had on the floor individuals from very different parts of the State, but Illinois has always had a reputation of having one of the most congenial delegations in Congress any way you cut it. We have always had that during the time that I have been here, and to be able to talk about the diversity.

As Representative Krishnamoorthi was making his comments, you could hear the emotion in his voice as he talked about how Illinois had welcomed his family. And that is what Illinois has done. It has welcomed individuals from all parts of the world. Individuals, large numbers of Puerto Ricans who came from Puerto Rico; Mexican Americans; individuals who were immigrants; African Americans, like myself, who migrated from the rural South.

No, I didn't grow up in Illinois. I wasn't born in Illinois. As a matter of fact, I was born in Arkansas. Of course, it is the only State in the Bible that Noah looked over his ark and saw.

Large numbers of individuals from my State, from Mississippi, from Louisiana, from Texas, from Tennessee, from Alabama, and from other places migrated to Illinois, and especially to Chicago.

I have the opportunity to represent what I consider to be the most fascinating piece of geography in North America that is compressed into a political subdivision. My district begins at Lake Michigan. You can't go any further east. It abuts the lake. It is downtown Chicago. It is The Loop. It is the Magnificent Mile. It is Water Tower Place. It is the future's industry. It is the big banks. It is home to corporate America. Major corporations have their headquarters in downtown Chicago.

But it also has more hospitals than any other single district in America, which means that it is a health mecca. It also has some of the first of the community health centers, the federally qualified health centers, that were organized, the Mile Squares, the Near Norths, the Martin Luther Kings, Access Healths.

It is a fascinating place, but then a part of it is home to Ernest Hemingway. There are more Frank Lloyd Wright structures in my district in a place called Oak Park than any other place in the world.

With the exception of a few places, it is the museum capital of the Nation, every kind of entity. But the diversity of its people, some very wealthy individuals, but then the areas that were devastated by the riots after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King.

But some of the greatness of people like John H. Johnson, who started, developed, and owned Johnson Publishing Company. Parker House Sausage. We don't do a great deal of farming, but we do a lot of other kinds of things, businesses like Ariel Capital, Loop Capital.

These businesses provide an opportunity for others to interact. Great people, I have had the good fortune to just know a whole bunch of young athletes: Isaiah Thomas, Kevin Garnett, Doc Rivers, and Darryl Stingley. All of these guys grew up in my district--not just in Chicago, but in my district.

I represent the Chicago Bulls. I represent the Bears, the Black Hawks, and a little bit of the White Sox. Unfortunately, the Cubs are a little further

north where Congressman Mike Quigley is and represents, but we embrace them also.

President Barack Obama lived right at the edge of my district.

Chicago, Illinois, is filled with inclusivity. Carol Moseley Braun was the first African-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate from the State of Illinois. Of course, Barack Obama was also elected to the Senate. Roland Burris was a member of the Senate, and Abraham Lincoln.

I grew up as a fan of Abraham Lincoln because of the role that he and Illinois played in the abolition of slavery. My mother was a great Abraham Lincoln fan, so as a little boy, I knew every story that you could think of about Abraham Lincoln.

The thing that I am most proud of, though, is the inclusivity and the diversification of our State.

Representative LaHood has represented and demonstrated what Illinois is all about, and that is bringing all of us together to extol some of the virtues of our great State. I thank the gentleman for his leadership, and I thank the gentleman for his action.

Mr. Speaker, it was really fun interacting with my colleagues and learning about the great State in which we live and have the opportunity to represent.

But, Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to vote on the GOP tax plan, I decided that I would grade the bill and look a little bit at the difference between what has been promised and the reality of what is in the final legislation.

We were told that there would be middle class tax relief and that nobody in the middle class is going to get a tax increase. We have been looking for it, but instead, after 10 years, millions of middle class taxpayers will be paying more, and the majority of the tax cuts will go to the corporations and to the 1 percent.

We were told that it would eliminate tax breaks for the wealthy and that wealthy proponents of the bill will personally take a hit from the GOP tax plan--another failure. This bill and this plan violates every principle and every tenet of economic justice.

The vast majority of the benefits go to the large corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. All major tax breaks remain and many new ones have been added, including the insidious new 20 percent deduction for so-called passthrough entities like real estate developers and others. Because of the fact that the new language wasn't in the bill passed by the House and Senate, floor amendments to eliminate the provision will not be permitted.

The alternative minimum tax, that safety net designed to thwart clever tax dodgers, is gone. The biological heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is handed over to oil companies for minimal return of Federal tax dollars.

We were told that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would be protected, that this was going to be a revenue-neutral tax reform and that the bill would pay for itself--failure again. The trillion-plus dollars in new deficit spending will be blamed on these programs, and pressure to cut them will begin shortly after the new year.

We were told that tax cuts will spur economic growth--again, failure. U.S. corporate profits are already historically high, but corporations are not making investments in plants, research, and new technology to grow the economy.

What we need is increased demand, higher wages, returning dislocated workers to the economy, rebuilding aging cities, and rebuilding infrastructure to revitalize communities. The redistribution of income away from low-to high-income households reduces consumption spending, which reduces demand.

The bill will be disastrous to the work of charitable nonprofits, reducing charitable giving by $13 billion or more, annually, destroying more than 220,000 nonprofit jobs and impairing the ability of nonprofits to address community needs.

Repatriating overseas corporate profit will stimulate the economy; that is what we were told. U.S. multinationals currently have $752 billion in taxes on the $2.6 trillion in profits that they are holding offshore. They have already found creative ways to use those dollars here at home without paying taxes. Worse yet, the repatriation provision helps conceal the permanent and growing costs of tax provisions that would lose revenue over the next decade.

What is needed is linking tax breaks to specific targeted investment here at home, such as the new market credit, which, as of the end of fiscal year 2016, had generated $8 of private investment for every $1 of Federal funding; created 178 million square feet of manufacturing, office, and retail space; and financed over 5,400 businesses.

We were told that we were going to be able to reduce health costs and health insurance for everybody--failure again. The elimination of the penalty for people who go without health insurance will result in some 13 million Americans losing their health insurance. That includes more than 500,000 Illinois residents.

Healthcare premiums will rise by about 10 percent in most years, and for the lowest income working families, with 10 million children under 17, there will either be no improvement in their child tax credit or a token increase of $1 to $75. Low- and modest-income working families, with another 14 million children, will receive a child tax credit increase of more than $75 but less than the full $1,000 per child increase that families at higher income levels would receive.

We were told that we were going to be able to file our taxes on a postcard, simplify and reduce the size of the Tax Code. That is not going to happen.

Final grade, corporations and the 1 percent--the wealthiest people in the country--will win, and the rest of society will lose.

For me, Mr. Speaker, that is not an acceptable result. I could never vote for this bill, so count me out. I vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, my good friend Timothy ``Tim'' Bradford passed away last week.

Tim was a commissioner of the Cook County Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, but he was much more than that. Tim grew up on the west side of the city of Chicago, moved to the south suburbs, and became known as the godfather of politics in south suburban Cook County.

He was in love with everybody he met, involved in everything that existed, and I simply express condolences to his wife and family on his passing.

Mr. Speaker, Tim Bradford graduated from Richard T. Crane High School on the Westside of Chicago where he was an outstanding athlete and well-liked student. He secured a job at Western Electric before obtaining and rising to a senior level position at Quaker Oats where he worked for more than twenty-five years. He later became a successful entrepreneur and owned a dock fish feed franchise and had an interest in a St. Louis based Miller Beer distributor-ship. Tim was passionate about life, civic engagement and politics. He served as commissioner and President of the Olympia Fields Park District and Administrator of Rich Township. Tim's greatest legacy will be his service to the community and helping those in need is his passion, his mission. He was a well-respected pillar of the community who made sure that the south suburban community of Cook County was never overlooked.

To say that he was immersed in politics would be an understatement. Tim worked around the clock and became known as the Godfather of south suburban politics. He served as vice chair for Cook County Democrats, a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, RichTownship Committeeman, Rich Township Administrator, Matteson Rotary Club, Olympia Fields Police Board and countless other civic organizations, boards and commissions. Notwithstanding all of his external activities and affiliations, Tim was totally devoted to his wife of 51 years, Mary-Ann and all other members of the Bradford clan, his mother, his brothers, his children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other family members and friends. Timothy (Tim) Bradford was an extraordinary man filled with boundless energy, a great mind and a heart filled with love for his family and anyone that he might meet.

Love is patient, love is kind, love is generous, love is Commissioner Timothy (Tim) Bradford.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. James Thomas Esco, who was born in Canton, Mississippi in 1942, which is home to my good friend, Congressman Bennie Thompson, who represents that area. It is also home of The Canton Spirituals, one of the most outstanding gospel singing groups in the country.

Mr. James Thomas Esco was born a unique person. He was the 29th child of 30 in a blended family of Mr. Percy Lee and Mrs. Earline Esco. He loved his family and fell in love with his wife's 16 brothers and sisters. He was married to Mrs. Sadie Pearl Esco for 55 years.

He was as solid as a rock and a humanitarian with a heart of gold. He was always concerned about and looked out for the well-being of others. He was a hard worker. He worked in a factory and drove a taxi. He brought dignity to any work task which he performed. He stressed the importance of education and taught his children to get the best grades. He adored his wife's 16 siblings and supported them in their endeavors.

He instilled in his children and seven grandchildren to be kind, to be respectful of others, to work hard, to get the things you want in life, to be active citizens of the United States, and, most importantly, to know Jesus.

These words and this biography were put together by the daughter of Mr. Esco. What a man. What a daughter. What a family.

Mr. Speaker, these are the kind of people who I am fortunate to represent, and I am indeed pleased to share them with the rest of the world.

With much love and respect, I am U.S. Representative Danny Davis from the Seventh District of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, in every place that I went yesterday, people asked me: What are you going to say to the conferees?

I said that I am going to join with my colleagues and say to the conferees: Help the needy and not the greedy.

I am going to say to the conferees: Why give 50 percent of the tax break to the wealthiest 1 percent of the population in this country?

I am going to say: Why cut Medicare, Medicaid, and provisions of the Affordable Care Act that have kept millions of people from having the agony, pain, and frustration of not being able to find healthcare?

I am going to say: Save the children; save the veterans; save the center cities that are decayed; save the infrastructure; save the safety net; and save America.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two letters: one from the National Education Association and one from the American Council on Education.

November 15, 2017.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the three million members

of the National Education Association (NEA), and the 50

million

students they serve, we urge you to Vote No on the Tax Cuts

and Jobs Act (H.R. 1), a rewrite of the U.S. tax code being

voted on this week. This multi-trillion dollar plan is a tax

giveaway to the wealthiest and corporations paid for on the

backs of working families and students, and jeopardizes the

ability of states and local communities to adequately fund

public schools. Votes associated with this issue may be

included in NEA's Legislative Report Card for the 115th

Congress.

Tax plans reveal the priorities of a nation and in a number

of respects this one tells working and middle-class families,

students, and educators that they must sacrifice in order to

further enrich the wealthy and corporations. We oppose the

bill as currently crafted for several reasons outlined below.

A Giveaway to the Wealthy and Corporations sets up Drastic Cuts to

Medicaid, Medicare, and Education

Analysis of the Joint Committee on Taxation's estimate of

H.R. 1's impact shows that the bill is overwhelmingly skewed

to the wealthy. Households with annual incomes over $1

million would receive 16 times the percentage increase in

after-tax income as other taxpayers. In addition, 45 percent

of the cost of the bill's tax cuts would go to households

with incomes above $500,000--less than one percent of filers.

Meanwhile, JCT estimates show that taxes would actually

increase for filers with incomes between $20,000 and $40,000

over the life of the bill.

For now, much of the tax cuts will be deficit-financed, but

the budget resolution that helped pave the way for this plan

previews the next phase: future legislation to cut the

growing deficit caused by tax cuts by demanding cuts to

critical services that help working people, children,

seniors, and others--Medicaid, Medicare, education, and more.

In fact, some of this impact will be immediate. According to

the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), without enacting

subsequent legislation, the tax bill will trigger automatic

spending cuts to pay for the tax changes under a ``paygo''

law. The CBO analysis concludes that Medicare would face an

FY18 reduction of $25 billion with a remaining $111 billion

to be sequestered from remaining mandatory programs.

Kansas provides a window into what this approach looks

like. In 2012, the state's former governor pushed through

similar massive tax cuts to individuals and businesses that

allegedly would boost the economy. In reality, Kansas' job

growth was anemic and the governor and legislature starved

state services. Kansas cut funding for public schools,

infrastructure, and other services, and scrambled to close a

$350-million budget deficit. After voters spoke at the ballot

box, lawmakers reversed course, raising taxes and

overriding--in a bipartisan manner--the governor's veto.

Rather than rushing forward with a partisan bill, Congress

would do well to heed the recent lesson from America's

heartland.

Eliminating SALT Deduction is a Tax Increase and Will Devastate

Education Funding

H.R. 1 would eliminate most of the state and local tax

deduction (SALT)--taking money out of the pockets of as many

44 million middle-class families across the nation. While the

bill hammers middle-class families on this, it oddly

preserves the ability of businesses to deduct state and local

taxes--yet another example of how the bill takes from working

families to provide tax giveaways to those who are wealthier.

Eliminating any part of the state and local tax deduction

could lead to a tax increase on middle class families and

have a negative, ripple effect on the ability of states and

local communities to fund public services, like education.

That could translate into cuts to public schools, lost jobs

to educators, and overcrowded classrooms that deprive

students of one-on-one attention.

NEA conducted a detailed analysis of the plan to eliminate

most of SALT. In total, education funding could take a $250

billion cut over the next 10 years and put up to 250,000

education jobs at risk. It is no secret what is likely to

follow if Congress eliminates SALT. If there is any doubt,

one need only to listen to what far-right groups like ALEC

are saying right now. Their letter about the SALT deduction

lays out their plan--to lobby for lower taxes at the state

and local level. This means even fewer available funds for

students and public education.

Turning Popular 529 College Savings Plan into a Voucher-like scheme for

the Wealthy

The tax plan distorts a popular education tax program for

middle-class families by creating a voucher scheme with no

income limits that is aimed at benefitting the wealthy to set

aside up to $10,000 annually in a tax-free account for

private school expenses. Both the Heritage Foundation and

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos agree, noting to the

Washington Post that the backdoor voucher plan is ``. . . a

good step forward . . .'' in allowing public dollars to

follow children to private school. Make no mistake. This

poorly veiled voucher program will only benefit the

wealthiest families who can already afford private school

tuition at the expense of our students, communities, and

taxpayers. In the end, no matter what form or name a voucher

program takes, the impact is the same. This risky voucher

program will hurt students and neighborhood schools--where 90

percent of children attend.

Elimination of the modest Educator Tax Deduction

While offering huge giveaways for wealthy individuals and

corporations, the plan inexplicably eliminates the popular

educator tax deduction that allows educators to deduct

eligible unreimbursed out-of-pocket classroom spending--

books, paper, pencils, and art supplies purchased to

supplement meager school budgets--up to $250 annually. The

popular plan made ``permanent'' by Congress just two years

ago, was claimed on 3.7 million tax returns in 2015. Almost

every educator pays out of pocket for school supplies. The

most recent study by the National School Supplies and

Equipment Association (NSSEA) estimated that public school

educators spent $1.6 billion of their own money during the

2012-2013 school year on classroom supplies. An estimated 99

percent of public school teachers spent some amount of money

out of pocket for their classrooms, with typical amounts

ranging from $500-$1,000.

Making College Even More Costly for Families

The plan also eliminates the student loan interest

deduction. This is bad news for students and families. Under

current rules, borrowers paying off education loans can

annually deduct up to $2,500 of interest paid on student

loans. H.R. 1 essentially raises the long-term cost of

attending college by eliminating the deductions for interest

paid on student loans. According to the IRS, over 12 million

individuals claimed this deduction in 2015. Further, the bill

eliminates a provision that allows universities to waive

tuition for graduate students. Graduate students would be

taxed on the value of that tuition as if it were income,

making it almost impossible for many students to afford

graduate degrees. In a time of rising college costs and

skyrocketing student loan debt, it is unthinkable to take

away provisions that assists students and families struggling

to pay for college.

Eliminating Successful School Construction Bonds Program

The Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) Program has proven

to be an efficient and cost-effective way to help

disadvantaged communities address pressing renovation and

repair needs in schools. Investors receive a federal tax

credit equal to the amount of interest payable on the bonds,

thereby relieving local taxpayers and municipalities of the

interest burden. A school that is awarded a QZAB may use the

funds to renovate and repair buildings, invest in equipment,

and update technology which are all vital to student well-

being and success. Eliminating this program will only ensure

that more and more students will go to school in yesterday's

buildings with out-of-date technology and often unsafe,

crumbling infrastructures.

Putting State and Local Public Pensions Funding at Risk

Section 5001 of H.R. 1 could subject certain investment of

state and local government pension plans to the unrelated

business income tax (UBIT). Investment earnings pay for

approximately two-thirds of state and local government

pension benefits, which are taxed when distributed to

participants. In addition to the revenue lost from the tax

itself, subjecting these pension plans to UBIT could pose

significant and complex compliance costs that could

dramatically affect pension funds. Further, the UBIT will

result in a drag on these critically important investment

returns, sets a dangerous precedent for taxation of state

entities, and will ultimately increase costs to taxpayers.

Rewriting the Tax Code Should Not be Rushed

In 1986, Congress undertook a yearlong, bipartisan effort

to deliberately and carefully rewrite the tax code. Measured

consideration should again be taken in understanding the

near-term and long-term impacts a tax code rewrite will have

on families, communities, and public services. Instead,

Congressional leadership is rushing the process and putting

forward a bill that further tilts the scale in favor of the

wealthy and corporations, and paid for by working families.

For all of the reasons outlined above, we urge you to Vote No

on H.R. 1.

Sincerely,

Marc Egan,

Director of Government Relations,

National Education Association.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican tax bill is a dangerous bill that raises taxes on 36 million middle class households; takes healthcare from tens of millions of Americans; skyrockets the cost of health insurance for all Americans, but especially for those who are sick or have preexisting conditions; and directly results in cuts to Medicare and safety net spending next year--all to give corporate special interests immediate, permanent, and monumental tax cuts.

Cut, cut, cut is all that I have heard this week: cut the safety net; cut service for the needy; cut service for the physically challenged; cut the poor; cut the homeless; cut Medicaid; cut education; cut out low-income tax credits; cut out new market tax credits; cut out social services; cut block grants; cut student loans.

Winter is here. Cut the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. If you live in Chicago, Minneapolis, the Midwest, or the Northeast, without any heat, you are subject to catch pneumonia and die. There is no doubt about it.

I can imagine that college residents, hospital administrators, and managers of programs are wringing their hands, wondering what they are going to do.

I heard a minister last Sunday at one of the churches in my community asking this, and he said: Pray, organize, vote.

Vote against this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Neal for not only yielding to me, but for the tremendous leadership that he has provided throughout this process.

Mr. Speaker, as I listen, there is no doubt in my mind that the vote we will take tomorrow is going to be one of the most important votes that I will ever take as a Member of Congress. It is important because I know that it will affect, in one way or the other, every citizen of this country.

As I listened to the debate over the last 2 days, I know that America is at a great crossroads, and that we can either go forward or we can go backwards.

We can go forward into a new era of job creation, supporting education for all, and keeping the greatest level of healthcare that this country has ever known.

Or we can go backwards, backwards with Marie Antoinette-type tax policy that takes opportunity and bread from the middle class, and then say: Let them eat cake.

Or we can go forward with a more equitable tax plan, one that promotes infrastructure protection and development by keeping the provisions for State and local deductions, which everybody knows will create jobs, jobs, and jobs.

We can go forward by making sure that the access we currently have to quality healthcare will continue.

I hear many people talking about what we will get from H.R. 1, what I call the Republican Marie Antoinette tax bill.

But let me just mention some of what we will not get that we already have. Teachers will not get the ability to write off the $250 that they spend out of their pockets for materials and supplies for their students. Students will lose $65 billion in Federal funds to help make college more affordable. Senior citizens, as we have already heard, with Alzheimer's will lose the ability to write off high medical costs. Student loan interest can no longer be used.

Cities like mine; like Philadelphia; like Detroit; like Gary, Indiana; cities all over the country will not be able to make use of the new market tax credits to rebuild slum and blighted areas.

Many of those areas have been laying fallow for 50 and 60 years, where there used to be thriving communities. Historical buildings will be left standing because the tax credits to restore them will no longer be available, losing the opportunity to create jobs and work opportunities for people who are unemployed.

Under the bill, any way that you cut it, the middle class will lose and the special interests and the wealthy will again win.

I know that we are again being sold the idea of what I call trickle- down economics. Feed those at the top, and crumbs will trickle down to all the rest of society, even though study after study has shown that this does not work. It is nothing more than a theory, far from any basis of truth.

I think that we have no choice. When I hear these kinds of discussions, I think of all kinds of things. But I guess what I think most is something that Billie Holiday wrote and sang. She said: ``Momma may have, papa may have, but God bless the child that has got his own.'' And she said: ``Rich relations give crusts of bread and such. You can help yourself, but don't take too much.''

So if you are waiting for something to trickle down, you better remember what she said: `` . . . God bless the child that has got his own.''

One thing that each one of us has is the ability to vote, and I will vote tomorrow. And I will make sure that when I vote, I will vote to represent the thousands and thousands of middle class families who need to have hope, who need to have faith, and who need to believe that when we sing the song ``My Country, `Tis of Thee,'' that we are singing about them, too.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Neal for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the one thing that I like

about the Packers is that the people own them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Navy Pier and commemorate the beginning of the Pier's second century as a public community resource and treasured Chicago landmark. After 100 years of significant impact, Navy Pier has been reimagined and adopted the new mission: Navy Pier is the

People's Pier, Chicago's lakefront treasure, welcoming all and offering dynamic and eclectic experiences through partnerships and programs that inspire discovery and wonder; Navy Pier opened to the public in 1916 and originally named ``Municipal Pier No. 2; Navy Pier was built under nationally-known architect Charles Sumner Frost, based on Daniel Burham's ``Master Plan of Chicago.'' Municipal Pier was the first of its kind to accommodate both the commercial shipping industry and recreation and entertainment for the public drawing over 3 million visitors annually.

In 1917 it was adapted to house several regiments of soldiers, Red Cross, and ``Home Defense'' units and served as a barracks during World War I. It was officially renamed Navy Pier in 1927 as a tribute to the Navy personnel who were housed at the Pier during the conflict. From 1941 to 1947, the Pier was leased to the U.S. Navy as a naval training center for 60,000 recruits. One of those pilots who qualified for military service was President George H. W. Bush.

Navy Pier was the original home to the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1946 to 1965, and more than 100,000 students attended classes during that time. Dubbed `Harvard on the Rocks,' the University shared the space with the Chicago Police Department's Traffic Division, the North Pier Terminal Company, and several military detachments. The Pier was designated a Chicago historic landmark in 1977; between the years of 1978 through 1982, Navy Pier was host to ChicagoFest, a summer music festival full of food, fun, and festivities. ChicagoFest eventually grew to become the Taste of Chicago, drawing millions of guests to the Pier and spurring millions of dollars in economic impact.

The Pier re-opened in 1995 following a $150 million redevelopment having improvements made to nearly every aspect of the three-quarter mile long public Pier. Since that renovation, year-round entertainment, shopping, dining, attractions and exhibitions have positioned the Pier as one of the most unique settings in the world; in July of 2011, Navy Pier, Inc., the newly formed nonprofit entity entrusted with the operation and redevelopment of Navy Pier put forth The Centennial Vision, a framework for reimagining Navy Pier as a unique public space and cultural mecca. The Centennial Vision's purpose is not only to expand the Pier's audience, but to enrich the experience of its guests. The Vision, divided into two phases, establishes a framework befitting Chicago, a world-class city, with a vibrant architectural, cultural, and recreational landscape and includes a 30-year Sustainable Master Plan to address the Pier's long-term environmental impact.

With the completion of the Centennial Vision's ``Phase 1'' in 2016, a record 9.26 million guests enjoyed new amenities such as the state of the art Centennial Ferris Wheel, Chicago-centric food experience, redesigned south dock promenade with increased access to the waterfront and recreational boat experiences, and over 245 free public arts and cultural programs.

As the Pier now enters ``Phase 2'' of the redevelopment with extensive plans to upgrade the built environment and Pier structures such as the Family Pavilion and Crystal Garden. In 2017, with the completion of 13-acre Polk Bros Park, the new Chicago Shakespeare Theater and expanded Chicago, Children's Museum, the Pier projects to see attendance increase by as much as 26 percent as guests enjoy innovative, free public programming, participatory arts, cultural showcases, and the Pier's sustainable, recreational footprint; and the Pier currently employees over 3,000 individuals, is home to 77 businesses and 5 nonprofit organizations. The redevelopment is expected to generate 1,565 permanent and 1,659 temporary jobs across the city.

I am honored to represent Navy Pier and congratulate Marilynn Gardner, President & CEO; Patrick Sheehan, Chief Development and Strategy Officer, the Board of Directors and the multitude of individuals working that make the Pier a fascinating and enjoyable destination. Enjoy this landmark celebration and always remember, ``To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.''