Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of my dear friend Naomi Lauter, who died on December 4, in her beloved San Francisco.

Naomi lived her life in the spirit of ``world repair,'' ``tikkun olam,'' dedicated to making the world a better place by fighting for values, ideas, and issues we all hold most dear.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Naomi attended Lowell High School, UC Berkeley, and San Francisco State University.

Her parents, Rose and Louis Ets-Hokin, were prominent leaders in the San Francisco Jewish community. Their activism, particularly that of her mother, who brought food, entertainment, and joy to America's servicemembers in San Francisco during World War II, inspired Naomi's own commitment to the causes of equality and justice.

Naomi's political activism began in the 1950s in the civil rights and labor movements, most prominently by working with Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers.

Her grassroots organizing and mobilizing helped in the fight to end segregation and to expand access to quality education for all.

Her commitment to upholding the dignity of every person knew no bounds.

Naomi and her husband of 61 years, Bob, were fierce supporters of Israel and worked tirelessly to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. Naomi was a pillar of the San Francisco Jewish community, where she was dedicated to forging connections between young Jewish Americans and the State of Israel.

Her leadership in spearheading the San Francisco Holocaust Memorial and training generations of volunteers around the country will benefit the Jewish community for years to come.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I say that many political and civic leaders depended on Naomi's wise counsel, and with her passing, they have lost a dear friend. We will all profoundly miss her warmth and wonderful leadership.

Above all, Naomi was passionate about her family; her husband, Bob; her four beautiful children, David Jonathan, Sarah, and Sam; and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Our families were close neighbors and remain good friends. The Pelosi family was welcomed to many Shabbat and Passover Seder dinners with the Lauter family, and they joined us for Christmas. We celebrated together, just as we organized and worked together.

May it bring comfort to the Lauter family that so many share their sorrow at the passing of this much beloved and inspiring woman.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding; and I thank him, and the Democratic members of the Ways and Means Committee, for being committed to the truth: to the facts.

To hear the distinguished chairman of the committee say what he said about the budget is almost ludicrous, almost laughable, if it weren't so serious, in terms of the impact that it has on America's future. He knows that, in the last 4, and maybe even 5, years of the Clinton administration, the budget was in balance or in surplus--the operational budget--and it was on a path to reducing the national debt, until President Bush came in, gave tax cuts to the high end, a giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry with the Medicare part D legislation, and three unpaid for wars.

That is what the experts will tell you increased the deficit that was on a path of the national debt going down. It was a swing, Mr. Speaker, of $11 trillion: to date, the biggest swing in history.

When President Obama came into office, he was inheriting a deficit--I am not talking about the national debt; I am just talking about the annual deficit--of $1.4 billion. When he left office, it was about a third of that.

So don't try to mislead the American people. We owe them the truth. We owe them facts. That is why what is happening tonight in this body is so important: the violence that the Republicans are doing with their legislation on the economy of our country, robbing from our children's future to reward the wealthiest people and biggest corporations in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to ask my colleagues a simple question: Who do we represent when we come to this floor?

The American people, overwhelmingly, oppose the GOP tax scam--they see it as that--and they are making their voices heard.

The American people are calling the Republican Congress to abandon the House and Senate bills, which pillage the middle class and pad the pockets of big CEOs and GOP donors.

The American people want us to start over and, actually, put the middle class first.

We should be working in a bipartisan way in order to do that, so that it will not only be right, but that it will be sustainable, and that there will be some certainty in our economy that this is a path forward that has bipartisan support.

But have the Republicans in the people's House listened to the American people? No.

Last month, House Republicans voted to raise taxes. In this House, House Republicans voted to raise taxes on 36 million middle class American families: stripping deductions from students and teachers, children and seniors, and homeowners and workers. They kept saying they were going to work it out with the Senate.

Last week, in the dead of night, Senate Republicans voted to raise taxes on 78 million middle class families, while also spiking health premiums, and exploding the ranks of the health uninsured.

Tonight, heading into this conference on the House and Senate bills, Republicans have sent an unmistakable message to middle class America: Pick your poison. Because, with either bill, middle class families lose; the American people lose.

According to an analysis by The Washington Post, the GOP tax scam is ``probably the most regressive tax cut in the past 50 years. . . . It is hard to find a tax plan that has done less for the middle class.''

That is what we talked about. Who are we here to represent? Why are they doing this?

Well, they are doing this to give a tax cut to the top 1 percent. Sixty-two percent of the benefits of the Senate bill go to the top 1 percent in our country.

Is that fair, to give nearly $1.5 trillion in tax cuts to corporate America, while heaping other benefits on them to make it easier for them to send jobs overseas. Why? Well, some of their people have told us why.

Congressman Chris Collins said: My donors are basically saying, ``Get it done or don't ever call me again.''

Senator Lindsey Graham has said the ``financial contributions will stop,'' if the tax scam fails. ``Scam'' is my added word.

The Director of National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, has said: ``The most excited group out there are the big CEOs, about our tax plan.''

This is interesting to see the Freedom Caucus, which I thought was a values-based caucus, committed to reducing the national debt: a debt that is being added to here that we may never recover from.

What happened to the Freedom Caucus? Weren't they supposed to be deficit hawks? Has that become an endangered species? No. It has become extinct. It does not exist on the Republican side, but it does exist on the Democratic side.

We intend to fight this robbing of the future of increasing the deficit into the trillions of dollars by fighting this bill to the end.

Where are all the Republicans who promised to reduce the deficit?

Where are our Republican colleagues who insist that we have no funds to spare for the healthcare of our children, the education of our young people, the job-creating infrastructure of the 21st century unless we find offsets?

Yet $1.5 trillion to corporate America, un-offset; tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country, un-offset.

That means children have to pay for their healthcare with their immunizations. It is absolutely appalling. It isn't a statement of values in any way.

Today, quietly, the Republicans--and some of them are admitting it with glee--are sharpening their knives for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Recognizing how they are increasing, they are soaring the national debt, now they have to find some ways to pay for it, so they are coming after Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The understanding of some is that it is only a question of whether they do it this year or a following year after the election.

Well, I think you are in a lose-lose situation. I think you lose with your donors if you don't pass this bill, but you are going to lose with the American people if you do.

Democrats believe that people deserve better. We deserve bipartisanship in how we put this together so it is sustainable. We are offering a better deal, better jobs, better wages, and a better future.

The American people deserve real, bipartisan, permanent tax reform that puts the middle class first.

The truth is that our colleagues either choose to ignore or do not understand the gravity of the situation. As they say in ``The Music Man,'' this is a terrible assault on the middle class. So tonight, with the Democrats' motion to instruct conferees, we want the Republicans to show where they stand.

Will Republicans vote ``yes'' to protect the vital State and local tax deduction that enables people to live in a safe place? Or will they vote to double-tax middle class families, drive down home values, and endangering key funding for firefighters, law enforcement, and schools?

Will Republicans vote to protect the healthcare of those with preexisting conditions?

No, no, no, no, no.

Or will they vote to spike families' premiums and add 13 million more Americans to the ranks of the uninsured if this bill goes through?

I have said that this, with stiff competition by some of the other things they have put forth, is the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress.

Now, how can I make that claim?

Well, because it involves more money, hurts more people, increases the deficit by so much more. And just because everything is bigger in our country, the consequences of this bill, a multitrillion-dollar economy being addressed by a bill that had no hearings, no expert testimony, just with the speed of light, as Jamie Raskin says, the speed of light, in the dark of night, here we are.

Who else thinks this is not a good idea?

This is what the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has said: `` . . . this proposal appears to be the first Federal income tax modification in American history that will raise income taxes on the working poor while simultaneously providing a large tax cut to the wealthy. This is simply unconscionable.''

I believe them.

Let us remember the words of St. Augustine: ``A State which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves.'' He said that 17 centuries ago.

When His Holiness Pope Benedict wrote about this in his first encyclical, God is Love, he went on to say: Sometimes you have to work hard to determine what justice is. But in doing so, you must beware of the dazzling blindness of money and power.

Apparently, you did not heed that.

Let us look honestly at the GOP tax scam before us. No justice.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on the motion to instruct conferees, to at least inject some element of fairness and common sense into this destruction, and then to reject this terrible bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) for his leadership, and I thank Chairman Harper for his as well. I thank them for bringing this legislation to the floor.

Here it is, November 29, 2017, an historic day in the history of the Congress, a watershed moment in our Congress' history because it is a day in which we will take the opportunity to make change. This body is taking a constructive first step to protect all Members of our legislative community from harassment and discrimination in the workplace. This vote is vital to upholding the integrity of the U.S. Congress.

We are grateful for the tremendous leadership of Congresswoman Jackie Speier. I have observed her leadership on this subject for a very long time. She has a lifetime commitment to exposing and ending the scourge of sexual harassment. I thank her for that leadership.

I want to also acknowledge my own daughter, Christine Pelosi, who is the chair of the Women's Caucus of the California Democratic Party. She is a former prosecutor in San Francisco and prosecuted these cases, and she has been a strong, strong advocate for protecting people in the workplace and has had some level of success with that.

So here we are at this watershed moment in the nationwide fight against sexual harassment and discrimination. Brave women in every corner of the country and in every industry are making their voices heard. As Members of Congress, we have a moral duty to show real, effective leadership to foster a climate of respect and dignity in the workplace, with absolutely zero tolerance for harassment, discrimination, or abuse. Anything less is unacceptable.

Requiring the Members and the staff to take training, while valuable--and we must have it--must be only a first step. We must make sure that that training is very effective as well. But the next step for Congress to take is to pass the ME TOO Congress Act, introduced by Congresswoman Speier, to create greater transparency and accountability in the broken reporting and settlements system.

Taxpayer money should not have been spent to build a culture of silence and complicity around workplace harassment. We must make a judgment about how that was used. This bill, the ME TOO Congress Act, will reform the shameful secret settlements policy that has persisted. It will ensure that survivors who wish to share their stories publicly can come forward, and they can come forward to the Ethics Committee.

We want to create a culture that says to everyone who comes to work here: This will be hospitable for you. We want it to be a culture that is a model to the Nation.

In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, this moment is a moment of truth for Congress. It is disappointing and disturbing that some in the Capitol have not served with the dignity and respect required of this office. It is very hard to accept that people we admire in public life and here in Congress have crossed the line and broken the public trust and violated the dignity and respect of those who have worked for or with them.

But zero tolerance means consequences for everyone. No matter your contribution to our country, you do not get a pass to harass or discriminate. No matter how great the legacy, it is not a license to harass or abuse.

To the victims of harassment and abuse: We hear you, and we believe you. We are here for you.

Where there is harassment, women and men must have support to come forward. We have a duty, again, to address their concerns and provide them needed resources.

We don't want to lose the leadership or service of any patriot who comes to work in or around Congress. We cannot let harassment or discrimination destroy their safety or drive them out of public office. We cannot tell young

women or men who aspire to serve in this historic body that they must put up with harassment and abuse.

Mr. Speaker, I want to just close by again thanking Congresswoman Jackie Speier for her leadership and thanking Chairman Harper, Mr. Brady, and all who are concerned.

It is utterly unconscionable that courageous survivors who seek to end the nightmare of sexual harassment are also dealt the injustice of having their voices silenced. During this watershed moment, we must seize the moment and take real, lasting action. The eyes of the country are on us. We cannot fail them or any prospective victims.

I thank all of those who have brought this to the floor: Congresswoman Comstock, Mr. Harper, Mr. Brady, and Congresswoman Speier.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong, unanimous vote on this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and thank him for his superb leadership as the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee. I commend him, and all of our fellow Democrats on the committee, for standing up for the middle class in our country and fighting for the truth and what is in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this vote today is a defining moment for our country. Our votes today will decide the future of the American middle class and those who aspire to it, the future of our children and our grandchildren, and the future of the United States of America as the land of opportunity.

Today, Republicans have brought forth a bill that is pillaging the middle class to pad the pockets of the wealthiest and hand tax breaks to corporations shipping jobs out of America and drastically increasing the national debt.

The bill Republicans have brought to the floor today is not tax reform. It is not even a tax cut. It is a tax scam. So many people have written in about it who are affected by it, and I will submit all of that for the Record, but I do want to say that this is not only a defining moment, it is a moment of truth.

With straight faces and with the speed of light--I have to give them credit; they raced this thing through in the dark of night--they are trying to sell a bill of goods to the middle class that this is in their interest, that this is a middle-income tax cut.

According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, Republicans are raising taxes on 36 million middle class families.

I associate myself with the very wonderful comments of our distinguished House Democratic whip, Mr. Hoyer, especially at the end when he said: ``Look to your souls, not to your polls.''

I want to speak to Pope Benedict, his encyclical, God is love. It was his first encyclical as pope, and in that encyclical, Pope Benedict quoted the wisdom of St. Augustine.

Seventeen centuries ago, St. Augustine said: ``A state which is not governed according to justice would be just a bunch of thieves.''

Benedict went on to say: ``The state must inevitably face the question of how justice can be achieved here and now.'' And he cautioned against the ``danger of certain ethical blindness caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interests.''

Interesting, in light of the fact that when this bill is brought forward, the

Director of the National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, said: ``The most excited group out there are the big CEOs, about our tax plan.''

Is that about justice?

Congressman Chris Collins said: ``My donors are basically saying, get it done or don't ever call me again.''

Senator Lindsey Graham said: ``The financial contributions will stop'' if this tax scam fails.

Well, he didn't say scam. I am saying scam. That is my word.

Back to the Pope and the Catholic bishops. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote: `` . . . this proposal appears to be the first Federal income tax modification in American history that will raise income taxes on the working poor while simultaneously providing a large tax cut to the wealthy.''

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops went on to say: ``This is simply unconscionable.''

We always begin our session with prayer, and many of us attend mass on the weekend, on Sundays. But we cannot pray and think that that gives us a lesson to prey on people the rest of the week; and that is what this bill does. It preys on the middle class and those aspiring to it. It pillages and loots the middle class. It is a shameful piece of legislation, and the Republicans should know better.

They say it is going to get better in the Senate. Oh my gosh. In the Senate, as Mr. Hoyer pointed out, unanimously, the Senate Finance Committee rejected this proposal already. Was it 26-0? Whatever the number was, the zero loomed large.

But getting back to values, because that is what we are here to do, and what we do in our budget, which the tax bill is a part of. It is supposed to be a statement of values.

In his study of civilization, the great British historian, Arnold Toynbee, found that, at the beginning of a hopeful country, the political leadership formed a creative minority that inspired and led the flowering of civilization. But in some nations, leaders became a dominant minority of ``exploiters, focused on their own wealth and power.

Arnold Toynbee, welcome to the Republican side of the aisle and Congress.

These competing mindsets, he went on, between the dominant minority of exploiters versus the creative minority that inspired and led the flowering of civilization, these competing mindsets and motivations create schisms in the body social and schisms in the soul of the body politic.

And lo and behold, the Republican Party has written a bill, nearly half of the benefits go to the top 1 percent--top 1 percent in our country--and 80 percent of the benefits go to the top 2 percent. This is a defining moment, but it is also a moment of truth

How can the Republicans, with a straight face, say to the middle class: Well, we are doubling this or doubling that? Give with one hand, take with another.

And to hear them cheer, hear them cheer for the provision in here about the estate tax?

Listen to this. You tell me if you think this is fair.

1,800 families in America--not your family farmer. Everybody is taken care of in what we have done already with the estate tax.

In this bill, 1,800 of the wealthiest families, the filers in our country, will, in the life of the bill, get the break of $172 billion; 1,800 families. This is for 1,800 families.

And you know what? The Republicans cheered that; 1,800 families are going to get $172 billion.

They cheer the fact that up to $1.5 trillion in tax cuts goes to corporate America, while, at the same time, giving them another tax break to send jobs overseas; at the same time, absolving them of any responsibility when it comes to State and local taxes; while insisting that individuals lose the State and local tax deduction, but corporations do not.

And listen to all of it. Were they cheering when they are saying to a teacher--hear their cheering when they say to a teacher: You may bring supplies to your school because your school and classes need that? God bless you for that. But we are taking away the tax deduction that goes with that.

What? Is that something to cheer about?

They are saying to students who get a $2,500 tax deduction on interest on student loans: Forget about that. Even though it may make the difference between your attending college or not, forget about that. We are too busy giving a tax cut to the 1,800 wealthiest families in America so they can get $172 billion in tax breaks over the next 10 years.

They are saying to families, whether they have a child with a disability, a senior with Alzheimer's, and everything in between: If you have extraordinary medical expenses, and, since 1944, you have been able to deduct them, no more. No more, because we have got to give it to the high end. So take that away.

Do you have any idea what that means to America's working families, and what it means for them if they have Alzheimer's?

We had one person come to our event in San Francisco last week from Barbara Lee's district. She said there was over $170,000 in costs for her because her husband has Alzheimer's. The tax deduction enabled them to survive. She said: I can't even imagine the cruelty that decided that this should happen in this tax bill.

So understand what this means in people's lives, and tell the truth about it. Tell the truth about it.

Republicans want you to believe that their trickle-down tax break for the rich will pay for itself. Never has happened.

As Bruce Bartlett, architect of Jack Kemp's supply-side economics said, ``It is not true,'' that this trickle-down economics pays for itself. ``It is not true. It is nonsense.'' And he went on to say it was ``BS,'' in the full extent of those words.

This tax scam won't create jobs. It won't raise wages. It will only fill the coffers of the donors and the fat cats. The GOP tax scam will add trillions to the debt and stick our children with a bill that you cannot pay off.

And none of us will probably be around by the time the full impact of the hemorrhaging of the debt in the second 10 years of this bill will require big tax increases. Look to the Kansas example.

As I like to say to the Caucus, Mr. Speaker, maybe I have to use my mother-of-five voice to be heard. But as a mother of five and a grandmother of nine, we are supposed to be thinking about our children and their futures, and our grandchildren and their futures.

God willing, one day some of you will have grandchildren. I always ask the question: Do they breathe air? Do they drink water?

Why are you messing that up in other areas of our policymaking here?

But getting back to this. The tax scam won't create jobs. It won't raise wages. As I said: It will only fill the coffers of donors and the fat cats.

This GOP tax scam will add trillions to the debt. Oh where, oh where are the deficit hawks? Have you become extinct? Is there not one among you who understands what this does to the national debt?

And with all due respect to your leader, for him to put at our doorstep the debt, when it was a creation--President Bush went into office on a path from President Clinton of deficit reduction. The last five Clinton budgets were in balance or in surplus. President Bush turned that around by repealing pay-as-you-go. Tax cuts for the wealthy didn't trickle down. Two unpaid-for wars, giveaways to PHARMA, the pharmaceutical industry, taking us to a place--remember September of 2008, when we were in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression?

But anyway, back to here. As Republicans know, our Republican friends have already shown us their playbook. In this bill, corporations will get a cut of $1.5 trillion--the same $1.5 trillion that Republicans plan to slash from Medicare and Medicaid in the GOP budget.

In their bones, the American people know they are getting a raw deal under the Republican bill before us. You know it. You know why you are here. You know what you are doing.

Democrats believe the American people deserve better, a better deal, better jobs, better wages, better future. We want to create good-paying jobs, raise workers' wages, lower the cost of living for families, give Americans the tools

they need to succeed in the 21st century. But you can't do that if you have a budget that does not invest in that future and is hampered by the cuts.

Let's go back to the drawing board. Let's write a bipartisan bill that raises wages, creates jobs, promotes growth, and reduces the deficit. To get to that place, we want to go to the table in a bipartisan way. What are you afraid of? In a bipartisan way, let's put together a tax bill that is good for the American people instead of one that does violence to the American Dream.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no'' and to demand a better bill for America's working families.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' fabulous statement about this tax bill.

United States Conference of

Catholic Bishops,

Washington, DC, November 9, 2017.

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: Decisions about taxation involve

fundamental concerns of ``justice and equity'', with the goal

of taxes and public spending ``becoming an instrument of

development and solidarity'' (Mater et Magistra, 132;

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 355). On

October 27, the USCCB offered six moral principles to guide

debate on tax reform, centered on care for the poor and

concern for families. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

contains many fundamental structural flaws that must be

corrected. As currently written, the proposal is

unacceptable.

Care for the Poor. Doubling the standard deduction will

help some of those in poverty to avoid tax liability, and

this is a positive good contained in the bill. However, as

written, this proposal appears to be the first federal income

tax modification in American history that will raise income

taxes on the working poor while simultaneously providing a

large tax cut to the wealthy. This is simply unconscionable.

The nonpartisan congressional Joint Committee on Taxation

(JCT) indicates that by 2023 this tax plan will raise taxes

on average tax payers making between $20,000 and $40,000 per

year. Taxes for this group will be raised again in 2025, and

again in 2027. Taxes will also increase on average taxpayers

earning between $10,000 and $20,000 in 2025. The federal

poverty line is $12,228 for one person, and $24,339 for a

two-parent family with two children. Nearly one in three

Americans live in a family with income below 200% of the

poverty line. Meanwhile, average taxpayers who make over $1

million experience dramatic tax cuts for the same periods. No

tax reform proposal is acceptable that increases taxes for

those living in poverty to help pay for benefits to wealthy

citizens.

Several other tax provisions that assist the working poor

and others who may struggle economically are also eliminated,

including:

the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which incentivizes hiring

of the disabled, veterans, those who have been unemployed for

long periods, and individuals receiving federal poverty-

related assistance;

the tax deductions to reduce the burdens of tuition and

student loans;

the income tax credit to persons who retire on disability;

the deduction for state and local income and sales taxes,

which may impact people in higher tax states;

the tax deduction for employee business expenses; and

tax incentives to employers and employees to help with

moving expenses for a new job.

Strengthening Families. Society, in Pope Francis' words, is

in ``debt'' to the family. The family is the most important

institution in society because education, formation, and care

for the human person, especially children, take place more in

the family than anywhere else. Expanded access to schools of

choice is a positive step in this legislation, and we would

encourage Congress to go even further by empowering more

parents in directing their child's education. We also

appreciate that the legislation recognizes unborn children as

eligible beneficiaries for parents' 529 education savings

account contributions.

However, this tax plan places new and unreasonable burdens

on families, especially those who welcome life or experience

serious hardships:

It removes the adoption tax credit which provides important

and life-affirming assistance for families to adopt children

desperately in need of love and support.

The plan also repeals the exclusion for adoption assistance

programs, which allows a family to exclude money paid by an

employer for adoption costs up to the amount of the adoption

tax credit as an alternative. This exclusion also allows

those who adopt a child with special needs to receive the

full value of the exclusion regardless of actual adoption

costs.

Eliminating the credit and exclusion sends the wrong

message about our national priorities, which ought to protect

life, strengthen families, and affirm the value of every

human being. The savings to society from children finding

loving homes is well beyond any revenue lost due to the

credit and exclusion.

It eliminates the personal exemption. Even with the

doubling of the standard deduction, some larger families will

pay more, including many two-parent families with more than

three children, and single-parent families with more than one

child. It is laudable that the child tax credit has been

expanded and removes the marriage penalty. However, the

modest increase in the credit does not fully compensate for

the elimination of the personal exemption for some larger

families. Moreover, because the child tax credit only remains

refundable up to $1,000, lower income families will get no

additional benefits from the child tax credit, while

suffering the full loss of the personal exemption.

It eliminates the out-of-pocket medical expenses deduction

for families facing serious or chronic illness.

It eliminates tax incentives to employers to provide

dependent care assistance or child care. The family

flexibility credit, at $300 per taxpayer, is some help, but

is set to expire after five years and does not offset the

greater losses.

It eliminates the qualified tuition reduction for children

of teachers, which will raise taxes on educational

institutions and disrupt family arrangements.

It repeals mortgage tax credit certificates, which are only

available for first-time home buyers under certain income

thresholds.

Other aspects of the plan also have consequences for

families. By creating stricter rules around parents' social

security numbers, the plan makes it more difficult for

immigrant taxpayers to receive the Child Tax Credit or the

Earned Income Tax Credit for their families, or to receive

assistance in seeking advancement through education.

Progressivity of the Tax Code. Pope St. John XXIII wrote

that a progressive tax code is required by ``justice and

equity.'' The ``Unified Framework,'' upon which this tax plan

was based, promised that any new tax code would be ``at

least'' as progressive as the present code. This plan breaks

that promise. It raises taxes on the working poor, while

simultaneously providing large tax breaks to high-income

taxpayers. It also repeals the estate tax (which applies to

the estates of single people valued at more than $5.5 million

and married couples valued greater than $11 million), and

eliminates the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) which was

designed to prevent high-income earners from avoiding tax

liability through loopholes. In the years that the working

poor suffer a tax increase under this bill, millionaires and

billionaires will see significant tax decreases. This must be

fixed. Those who stand to benefit the most from proposed tax

policies ought to be the ones to bear most of the risk

associated with them, rather than those who are struggling

and in need.

Adequate Revenue for the Common Good and Avoiding Future

Cuts to Poverty Programs. The state has a legitimate role in

promoting the common good, and a legitimate interest in

collecting taxes to do so. This tax plan, by design, will

result in a nearly $1.5 trillion deficit over ten years. Even

with the potential benefits of economic growth from

individual and corporate tax cuts--which cannot be

guaranteed--the poor should not be the ones to finance these

changes. Undoubtedly, the deficit will be used as an argument

to further restrict or end programs that help those in need,

programs which are investments to help pull struggling

families out of poverty. Repeal of the AMT and estate tax

alone comprise a good portion of the deficit that is built

into the plan. Rather than exploring even modest reductions

to these dramatic cuts for the wealthiest, the bill raises

taxes on the vulnerable and creates a strong incentive to cut

the social safety net.

Incentive for Charitable Giving and Development. Doubling

the standard deduction will bring tax relief to many people.

However, for those who give to charity, it will make the

charitable deduction increasingly a benefit only available to

high income families. An ``above-the-line'' deduction would

incentivize and assist charitable giving at all income

levels, and increase the amounts people can give. It would

also guard against a multi-billion-dollar decrease in

charitable giving that this plan would otherwise cause,

shrinking civil society and cutting income to nonprofits that

help the poor, just as government aid to the poor is

jeopardized, as noted above. By and large, money given to

charity helps those in need. The tax code should encourage

voluntary association, mutual aid, and a culture of giving,

helping rather than hurting groups that will be asked to do

more for the poor in the days ahead. Similarly, this plan

will lower the value of affordable housing and community

revitalization incentives. Public-private partnerships that

benefit the poor and the greater community should not be

discouraged.

Because tax policy is far-reaching, Congress must provide

ample time for Americans to discuss the complexities of these

reforms and fully understand their effects. The current

timetable does not provide adequate time for that discussion.

In many ways, this legislation is unacceptable in its present

form and requires amendment. It must be changed for the sake

of families--the bedrock of our country--and for those

struggling on the peripheries of society who have a claim on

our national conscience.

Sincerely,

Most Reverend Frank J. Dewane,

Bishop of Venice, Chairman, Committee on Domestic

Justice and Human Development.

Most Rev. George V. Murry, S.J.,

Bishop of Youngstown, Chairman, Committee on Catholic

Education.

Most Reverend Oscar Cantu,

Bishop of Las Cruces, Chairman, Committee on International

Justice and Peace.

I return to one of their statements: `` . . . this proposal appears to be the first Federal income tax modification in American history that will raise income taxes on the working poor while simultaneously providing a large tax cut for the wealthy.''

The Senate is not going to make it better. They have already said they are raising taxes on those making under $75,000 and giving tax cuts to the wealthy. They have already said they are going to take affordable care away from 13 million Americans.

I don't know how that is making it better. That might be something you applaud, but I certainly hope you would not vote for it.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution rightfully expresses the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen, which remains a stain of the conscience of the world.

The resolution condemns violations of international law and specifically denounces those actions taken by Iran that are illegal. Saudi Arabia should also be subjected to that judgement.

When the resolution ``denounces the conduct of activities in Yemen and areas affected by the conflict that are, directly or indirectly, inconsistent with the laws of armed conflict, including the deliberate targeting of civilian populations or the use of civilians as human shields'' and ``calls on all parties to the conflict to allow for unobstructed access for humanitarian organizations, human rights investigators, medical relief personnel, and journalists,'' those calls should apply both to the Iranians and to the Saudis.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I accept his compliment on behalf of the House Democratic Caucus, which really developed the better deal. It sprang from our membership, with consensus based on our values that keep us united for America's working families. That is the unifying factor in our Democratic Caucus in the House.

Mr. Garamendi, I thank you for your diligence in always coming to the floor and speaking truth about the numbers, about what they mean to America's future, and also about making it in America. So much of that is violated by what the Republicans have put forth.

I thank you for starting with the budget, because a budget should be a statement of national values. What is important to us as a nation should be reflected in how we allocate our resources. That is how we Democrats have always thought of it and acted upon it.

That is not what is present in the Republican budget on which these taxes are predicated.

Would it be a statement of your values to take $1.5 trillion from Medicare and Medicaid and give a $1.5 trillion tax cut to corporate America while, at

the same time, saying to working families you are going to have to pay what little--hit them on their deduction on SALT, the State and local taxes, and rubbing salt in the wound by saying that corporations don't have that deduction taken away from them and, at the same time, in this tax plan, making it advantageous for corporations to send jobs overseas by having them pay a lower tax for a factory they set up abroad than they would pay in the United States?

It is just not right. It is just not fair.

You have been a champion, along with Mr. Hoyer, on making it in America. Again, this tax proposal that the Republicans are putting forth does violence to all of that.

And thank you for pointing out the structural nature of what they are doing to the budget. The Republicans, our colleagues, are supposed to be deficit hawks. We agree that we must pay as you go. That has been our modus operandi until the Republicans came along and removed that: You want something? Pay as you go.

Republicans contend to be deficit hawks, but that must be an endangered species because none of them seem to recognize or acknowledge the damage they are doing to our fiscal soundness as we go out not just in the first 10 years, which is damaging enough and structurally horrible enough, but in the following 10 years. And we in Congress, when we make proposals that have a budget impact, have to account for not only the first 10 years, but the second 10 years.

Mr. Speaker, in the second 10 years, the horror of what the Republican tax bill does to the budget is a hemorrhaging--a hemorrhaging. This tax bill, when Members vote for it, if they do, will be an assault on our children's future. It is not only fiscally unsound, it is morally ungrounded because it says to our children and, in my case, our grandchildren: You are going to have to pay the bill.

The sad part of it is it has an impact on the budget. It comes back and says, well, we have so much deficit and so much debt service, so much interest on the national debt, we are now going to have to make further cuts in education, in research and development, in all of the initiatives that produce innovation.

Innovation begins in the classroom. They make an assault on the classroom in this tax bill. It is going to get worse when they try to pay for it.

Then, of course, it is fiscal engineering so that they can go after Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security once again. They have never really believed in Medicare. They say it should wither on the vine, and in this bill, they do violence to it.

But let's just talk about what this does to the State of California, my colleague, because our Golden State, which we are proud to represent, is a great economic resource to the Nation--to the Nation. It contributes enormously to our balance in trade, whether it is agriculture from your area, innovation, entertainment, whatever it is. California is a big producer of favorable balance of trade for America.

Without California and without the industries that it has spread throughout the country, we would be in an even worse trade situation than we are now for all the giveaways that the Republicans are giving in the trade issue.

But let me just talk about this and what it means to people in their homes at their kitchen table when they are trying to pay the bills, establish their own priorities, make ends meet.

It is shocking, Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely shocking that 14 of our colleagues from California voted for a budget, and now many of them are proposing to vote for a tax bill, that will hurt their constituents to the tune of tens of thousands of their constituents.

Doug LaMalfa, the First District of California, around 100,000 households in his district claim the SALT deduction to the tune of thousands of dollars, and they will lose that.

Tom McClintock, around 100,000 or more claimed the deduction, and that is 36 percent of the households in his district, and they will lose thousands of dollars.

How does Paul Cook explain to his constituents, 57,000 of them who have claimed the deduction, that he is going to cost them thousands of dollars by increasing their tax bill?

Jeff Denham, he is really going to have to explain it very hard to a large percentage of his constituents as to how he is increasing their tax bill by thousands of dollars.

David Valadao, tens of thousands of his constituents will get the bad news if he insists on voting for this bill, which will cost them thousands of dollars.

Devin Nunes, tens of thousands of his constituents will pay the price for his lack of courage in a vote to go down the line with the Republicans to give a tax break to the wealthiest corporate America at the expense of their constituents, a direct expense and cost to their constituents.

Kevin McCarthy says to corporate America: We will give you $1.5 trillion tax cut, and guess who is paying for it? Around over 100,000 of my constituents to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Steve Knight: Don't worry, my constituents, we are giving the tax cut to corporate America, $1.5 trillion, and we are taking it out of your pocket, you are paying more.

Sadly, Ed Royce has the largest number of people who will be affected, close to 100,000 people, and they will be spending thousands of dollars more in the taxes that they pay because of SALT.

Ken Calvert, the same thing, tens of thousands paying thousands of dollars more.

Mimi Walters, how does she explain to her constituents, tens of thousands of them, that they will be paying thousands of dollars more in taxes? Why? To give a tax break to the top 2 percent: 80 percent of the tax break goes to the top 2 percent, 50 percent of it goes to the top 1 percent, $1.5 trillion goes to corporate America.

Dana Rohrabacher, the same thing, tens of thousands of people will be paying thousands of dollars more.

Darrell Issa. Hopefully Darrell won't vote for this. Hopefully some of these constituents will make sure that their Member of Congress knows that they see what is happening. Darrell Issa, well over 100,000 constituents paying thousands of dollars more.

Duncan Hunter, the same thing, around the same number. Well over 100,000--well over 150,000 paying thousands of dollars more. That represents about a third of his district.

But, as I said before, to rub salt in the wounds, while they are saying to their constituents, ``You are going to pay more because we are taking away your deduction,'' they are saying to corporate America, ``Your deductions for State and local taxes you keep.'' It is just remarkable.

And I underestimated them because I know they would question them, so I gave a conservative view. It is worse.

But you bring up the State and local, what SALT means, State and local taxes. The State and localities, did you see there is a letter--I don't have it right here--from the mayors of scores of cities in California asking the Members of Congress not to vote for this because of the provision that is in there that undermines their ability to address the education needs of their constituents, of the people in those towns and cities, the public safety issues? We had a firefighter come testify as to what it means to public safety, to law enforcement, to meeting the needs of people so that they can learn, that they can work, that they can raise their families, and to do so in a way that everyone pays his or her fair share. That is not the case here.

So, again, it is a boon to the megarich corporate special interest and a bust to the middle class. It also is very harmful to small business.

While the Republicans will say this is good for the middle class, it is not. They give with one hand something and take with another, so they can set the banquet table for the superrich corporate America and throw some crumbs to the middle class and say:

Sucker. I am just telling it the way it is.

Instead, Democrats say: Let's go to the table, let's be respectful of each other's views, let's have a clear objective debate on putting growth in the middle table--what creates growth for our economy, generating good-paying jobs, not stagnated wages, good-paying jobs, and reduces the deficit, instead of taking us into a hemorrhaging state of deficit in the years to come.

That is part of what is now. If time allows, and after the gentleman says his remarks, I will go into some of the specific ways in which cruelty is demonstrated in this budget. But right now, I just want to say this is a letter to the California delegation from 24 cities with their seals at the top and the signature of their mayors, some of them Republican, who have asked not to pass a bill that has this provision in it.

No. Well, what you see is they haven't really talked to the American people because they don't want the American people to know what is in this bill.

You would think that at the time when the bill is being marked up in committee, when they came to the floor instead of engaging in their conspiracy theories, they would, instead, brag about what they are doing if they think it is right, but they are not. And the reason is they are going so fast. This is the speed of light, in the dark of night, so that nobody knows until it is too late, but we are going to make sure that everyone does.

Let me correct my statement. I am not sure if any of the Republican mayors signed this letter, but 24 mayors did. I see two prominent mayors lacking on here, and I guess the discipline of the Republican Party is extended to the mayors. But their cities will suffer, and they know it.

Just another point, because you brought up process. I am not into process. This is about what does this mean to America's families. But because you brought it up, it is important to know that they don't want people to know, and that is why their process is so behind closed doors. Their members didn't even know what was in this until a couple of days ago.

Every single one of them is voting to raise the taxes of their constituents.

And in California--not that they were from California--but the nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimates that 5.5 million California taxpayers--that is about a third of our taxpayers, and that is families, so that is many people--will see an average tax increase of $4,180; 2.2 million of those receiving a tax increase will have incomes of less than $110,000.

So how can they say to the middle class, this is for you?

New taxes.

And we all want to encourage homeownership because it is putting down roots. Building community is very important. But it is not just California, it is across the country.

We are speaking from our experience. We are holding the California Republicans accountable. But every one of the Members who votes here is doing an injustice to the ability of States and local governments to do their job. We are cutting taxes. Now you go raise them so you can get the job done. So it makes matters even worse when you see what else is there.

Some of the cruelties that are in the bill, I mean, macrowise we know that this is a big transfer of wealth from middle class people to corporate America and to the superrich. We know that it is unfair to the middle class and will raise taxes on the middle class. It will increase the deficit. It is a legacy assault on our children's future. In addition, it deprives us opportunity cost to our budget in the near- term.

But there are some things in here that maybe are illustrative of the fact that this is not a statement of anybody's values that you know.

Let's talk about education for a moment. First of all, with all due respect, Mr. Speaker, one of the dumbest moves in this bill, with stiff competition, but one of the dumbest moves in this bill is the cut to education. Nothing brings more money to the Treasury than investing in education: early childhood, K-12, higher education, postgrad, lifetime learning. And in this bill, they, of course, make an assault on education.

For example, if you have a student loan, right now you have a $2,500 deduction for your interest payment on the loan. Not in this bill. Make that zero.

What? What did the middle class ever do to the Republicans that they are going to take away a deduction for interest on student loans when it is hard enough to save up and pay for college?

Next, now let's just go down to grade school. You are a teacher and you bring to school supplies for the classroom because your district is too poor to afford all of the things that the children would like to have. Right now, you get a tax deduction for what you bring to the classroom, but not in this bill. They have to take that away so they can give a tax break to the superrich so that schoolteacher isn't even compensated adequately, is sacrificing her personal funds, gets a tax break, but they take it away because the top 2 percent are desperate for their tax cut. But I don't think they are. I have more faith in the people of our country to say: Let us pay our fair share and let's do what is right.

But the list goes on on the things about lifetime learning and employers being able to provide for the training of workers: bye-bye.

Let me just tell you this one, since we are talking about education and children. In the bill, right now you get a tax credit to help you with adopting a child.

Such a joy to a family. If you are adopting a child with special needs, a tax credit. Not now. They have got to take that tax credit away from you. You don't need it anymore because

they have got to give it to corporate America.

If your employer decides that their place of business wants to help you with adoption, they get a deduction for helping you with your adoption. Not under this bill. Say good-bye to that.

Tax credit to the family adopting, tax deduction to the employer all gone so they can give the top 1 percent of our country 50 percent of this benefit at the cost of America's working families.

If you have medical needs, since 1944, you could deduct medical expenses for extraordinary medical needs. Very important to America's families. Not anymore. Say good-bye to that because we have got to take care of the superrich, so the pressure is on you.

The list goes on and on, but it gets personal. For families, it makes a difference as to whether their children can go to college. It makes a difference as to whether they can make ends meet with their medical expenses. It makes a difference if they don't have their State and local tax deduction. Again, this is across the country. We are speaking from our California experience.

It would take all night to go through the sins in this tax bill. I just wanted to give you a touch of some of those and how they directly impact America's working families while they profess that they are helping them. Not true.

Then they say: Oh, it is going to pay for itself.

Never has, never has. Don't take it from us. Bruce Bartlett, who is part of this supply side economics leadership as well as the trickle- down economics, said: We never said it would pay for itself. Anybody who says it does, it is not true. It is nonsense.

He even went on to say it was BS, as I am allowed to say on the floor of the House in its initial form.

These other things they say that just aren't true--oh, they take the name of Bill Bradley and Dick Gephardt in vain, and even President Ronald Reagan: Oh, this is what they did.

No, this isn't what they did. They had over 400 people to testify, 30 hearings over a period of a couple of years, and worked in a bipartisan way to iron out so that it would have sustainability. That is the only way you get a good tax bill, is if it is bipartisan and sustainable.

So, in any event, this is a moment of truth for the American people, and we want the truth to be known.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman for calling the Special Order.

And just barely. Just barely.

All 14 California Republicans, like lemmings to the sea, betraying the economic security of their constituents' families.

I do, too.

It was my pleasure.

I thank you, because one thing that we must make sure they know is that this is not tax reform. It is not a tax cut unless you are in the top 2 percent or a corporation. But if you are a middle class American or a working family in our country, you are susceptible to an increase in what you pay in taxes. It is just not fair.

I thank Mr. Garamendi for his relentless leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I particularly want to recognize Mr. Yarmuth's extraordinary leadership as the ranking member on the Budget Committee. As we all know, budget should be a statement of our national values. What is important to us as a nation should be reflected in how we allocate our resources.

Again, it is a statement of values, and who better to manage all of that in this Congress of the United States than Mr. Yarmuth, who brings his values and his heartland priorities to the budget process, and I thank him for the leadership he has provided.

Sadly though, I rise in opposition to what the Republicans have proposed which is a devastating Republican budget. The first step in the GOP's dangerous plan to fast track their immoral tax framework is to hand trillions of dollars to the wealthy while raising taxes on working American families.

The Republican budget and tax plan cruelly rig an unfair system even further against hardworking Americans. It cuts a raw deal for families in every corner of our country. Democrats have a better deal, better jobs, better pay, better future.

But right here, before our eyes in this House, Republicans are replacing the great American ladders of opportunity with the silver spoons of plutocracy and aristocracy. Their agenda raises taxes on the middle class. That is a fact. Tens of millions of middle class families will pay higher taxes, including a heavier burden for State and local taxes.

It might be interesting to our distinguished colleague, Mr. Scalise-- and isn't it a joy to see him in debate on the floor--in his State of Louisiana, 458,000 people will pay an average of nearly $7,000 more by losing their deduction.

And Congresswoman Black, from the great State of Tennessee, in her State, 573,960 people will lose their deduction, around $5,600 a filer.

Not only that, if that isn't bad enough for assaulting the dream of homeownership in our country by attacking the deduction, this plan that the Republicans propose has been estimated to reduce the value of people's homes by 10 percent. You not only are paying more money in order to give a tax break to the wealthy and to big corporations, you are reducing the value of your home, and, by the way, your neighbors' homes as well.

So with all of the unfairness in it, the one that is most understandable to people directly is how it affects them. And in that case, 44 million Americans will pay more because of what the Republicans have in their plan.

So it raises taxes on middle class, particularly with the State and local tax deduction removed. And by the way--another by the way--if you are a corporation, your deduction is not removed, just if you are an individual filer, so again, an advantage to corporate America at the expense of America's working families.

Next, it borrows trillions from the future to give tax cuts to the wealthiest. Eighty percent of the tax cuts in this Republican proposal goes to the wealthiest 1 percent; 80 percent goes to the wealthiest 1 percent at the expense of America's working families and children. The budget on the floor today reveals the true cruelty behind the Republican's tax plan. What words would be best to use it? It is looting the middle class, massive looting of the middle class; rip-off of the middle class, because there are many middle class people.

So you take some money from all of those middle class people and those who aspire to it so that you can give a lot of money to the few. That is a big sucking up of assets from the middle class to the wealthy. That is what they are here for. It is in their DNA: trickle- down economics. It is in their DNA. That is what the Republicans come here to do, and that causes a deep addition to the national debt.

They are supposed to be deficit hawks, but I think they have become an endangered species because they don't seem to care that, with the cuts that they are taking, the tax breaks they are giving to corporate and wealthy America will cost over $2 trillion--not counting service on the national debt which would take it closer to $3 trillion additional.

That is a very hard road to come back from. And as our distinguished ranking member has pointed out, the opportunity cost in the budget, whether it is a trillion dollars from Medicaid, half a trillion dollars from Medicare, funds taken from education, the seed corn of America's preeminence in the world. Why? To give a tax cut to the high end.

And they will say: Oh, well, the growth will come from this. We will pay for that.

It never has; never has. Don't take it from me. Bruce Bartlett, who was one of the orchestrators of the supply-side economics said: We never said it paid for itself. Anyone who says it does, it is not true. It is nonsense.

He went even further to call it BS.

As I said, it ransacks Medicare and Medicaid, adding trillions to the debt in tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, looting the middle class, shaking down the middle class, ripping off the middle class, increasing the taxes of the middle class.

It devastates vital investments, as our distinguished ranking member said, in good-paying jobs with higher wages for working families, the education of our children, the health of our working families. It really is a good example of what they say that Medicare should wither on the vine. In keeping with their trickle-down economics, Medicare should wither on the vine because they will take half a trillion dollars from Medicare in their budget that will follow.

So Republicans will harm veterans, rural America, seniors, and children, again, all in the name of fast-tracking trillion-dollar tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 percent. What more do you need to know? Eighty percent goes to the wealthiest 1 percent.

Again and again on the floor, the Republicans have tried to tilt the playing field against hardworking families. This is really quite remarkable though. This is a great transformative moment for America where we can reject this assault on the middle class, this addition to the national debt, and instead, say: Let's go to the table and work in a bipartisan way to truly reform our Tax Code so that we can be competitive in the world; so that families can thrive, and that they can have the deductions that are fair for them and needed, and not taken away from them, but not taken away from corporate America. So we stand ready to go in a bipartisan way to work to do this.

Any tax cuts, because this isn't just tax cuts to the rich--that is not tax reform--any tax cuts, any agenda like that has to be bipartisan in order for it to be sustainable. So let's come to our senses here. Common sense says--well, mathematics says, if you take a lot of money from many people to give it to a few, you are exacerbating the disparity of opportunity equity income in our country.

This is the wrong thing to do. It is not what our values are about. It is really a shame that they would even bring such a document to the floor. Anybody who lives in a district where their deductions, the tax deductions for State and local taxes, are taken away from individual filers, but not for corporations, as the bill determines, to the tune-- and I can read you all of the statistics across the country about how devastating this is--as our own Governor said: How could they do that to our State or any State without the department of finance of our States saying: Wait a minute. Understand what this does to the economy of our State. Understand what this does to our individual filers in our State.

Who said that this document that came over from the Senate should have such a devastating impact on States and Members coming to the floor and endorsing it. Some say: Oh, I am just voting for the budget, but it really isn't what it--no. No. You are putting your name next to taking the deduction of homeownership and of State and local taxes away from your constituents. They are going to know that. I would rather you reject this. We don't want a political argument. We want to protect the American people.

That is why I hope everyone here would come down in favor of the middle class and reject this assault, this rip-off, this shakedown of the middle class that the Republicans have on the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues Congressman Thompson and Congressman Huffman in paying tribute to the first responders who responded to the fires in northern California and, indeed, in southern California as well.

The spirit of our community is so magnificent seeing people come together to help each other. I salute our colleague Mike Thompson, who so much of his district was like an inferno, but much of his district is still thriving and one group helping another, and Mr. Huffman there, side by side with him, the whole time.

This is very tragic. The loss of life is heartbreaking, the loss of livelihood is devastating, and the loss of homes, of course, takes a while to replace.

We have seen other natural disasters in the rest of the country, in Harvey and Irma and Maria and Nate, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana. So many of the people of our country devastated in a short period of time.

So, in times of natural disaster, it is very important for the Federal Government to honor its social compact with the American people and to be there for them. I look forward to working in a bipartisan way for us to have the resources for FEMA to do its job and for the SBA to do its job to help businesses and homeowners recover their losses. And, again, pray; our hearts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their loved ones, their livelihoods, and some who are still in need of recovery.

Republicans' Devastating Tax Cut Plan

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the devastating tax cut plan that the Republicans are putting forth. If you are in the middle class, you will most likely be having your taxes increased. If you have a family member on Medicare or Medicaid, you will be, most likely, devastated by the impact of this.

This is a bill that the Republicans are putting forth that will add trillions of dollars to the national debt while they sing the praises of fiscal responsibility. The fiscal hawks have become an endangered species. No longer are they there to say: We are not going to borrow from our future in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country.

Indeed, 80 percent of the Trump-GOP tax framework, the framework net tax cuts go to the top 1 percent of Americans. The top 1 percent of Americans get 80 percent of the Trump-GOP framework net tax cuts.

As they increase the deficit, anyone who might be haunted by the thought that, well, we better cut someplace, where do you think they are going to go? They will devastate Medicare. They will devastate Medicaid.

What does that mean in the lives of the American people? It means that middle class families in our country will be subsidizing tax cuts for the wealthiest families and wealthiest corporations in our country. This is completely wrong.

It will also have a devastating impact on our budget priorities. In our budget priorities, our budget should be a statement of our national values. What is important to us as a country should reflect what is in the budget: investments in education so that children and families can reach their aspirations, so that communities can reach their economic success, so that America continues to be number one globally, competitively, and so that we, again, have the resources to invest in science and technology and our national security to keep America number one.

Infrastructure, so talked about, infrastructure--build, build, build:

Build across America roads, bridges, broadband. Build water systems and the rest, all of the needs that we have.

Build the human infrastructure of America by investing in education and healthcare and the rest.

Build our democracy by making sure that our democratic process has the resources necessary to be conducted in a way where every person's vote is counted as cast.

So all of this is connected to governance, and all of this is harmed by the assault on our budget that this tax proposal will present.

Middle class taxes will increase. Middle-income families will pay more. Tens of millions of middle class families will pay higher taxes.

One of the ways they will is because of the great idea the Republicans have to stop the deduction for State and local taxes. This is a big hit on middle class families in our country.

It steals trillions of dollars, borrows from the future and from our children's future to give tax cuts to the wealthiest. Eighty percent of the GOP tax cuts go to the wealthiest 1 percent at the expense of our children and working families and our country's future.

It would devastate Medicare and Medicaid. After adding trillions to the deficit, the GOP will use the deficits to justify destroying Medicare and Medicaid. And they are on it. They are already, in the bill, saying that they are going to means test Medicare. It is in keeping with their theory that Medicare should wither on the vine.

Democrats are for A Better Deal, for real bipartisan tax reform. Any business will tell you that what they want

in tax reform is some level of certainty that this is going to last for a while. The only way to do that is to have bipartisanship at the table.

Go to the table. What will create growth? What will create good paying jobs? What will reduce the debt? This bill does exactly the worst.

Don't let them tell you that, even though they are adding trillions of dollars to the debt, that is going to be paid for by economic growth. It has never happened. Trickle-down economics, President Bush tried that. It was tried before. It has never done that. It has never paid for itself. In fact, it has only increased the national debt.

In that regard, Bruce Bartlett, who was an economist in the Reagan years as well as worked very closely with Jack Kemp in supply side economics as an advocate for supply side economics, said: We never said it would pay for itself. Anybody who tells you that these additions to the deficit will pay for themselves by growth, it is not true, it is nonsense, and, he said, BS.

Forgive me, Mr. Speaker. I am just quoting. I am just saying what he said.

So this is a moment of truth for our country. What are our values? How are they reflected in our budget? How do we grow the economy in a way that increases the paychecks of America's working families so that they have consumer confidence? they spend? they inject demand into the economy? they create jobs? they bring revenue to the Treasury?

How is it a good idea to cut education in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country? Nothing brings more money to the Treasury than investments in education, early childhood, K-12, higher ed, postgrad, lifetime learning for our workers.

So, with stiff competition, mind you, having tax cuts which will steal from our budget investments in education is, with stiff competition, one of the worst ideas that the Republicans have to offer. But this is something that people should be alerted to, forgetting the policy and all the rest of it, what it means in your life.

Most likely, middle class family, you will pay more taxes. If you have a family member who is dependent on long-term healthcare, long- term care, whether in a nursing home or at home, most likely you will pay a price. If you have a family member who is on Medicare or if you are, Social Security disability, you will be affected by it.

The President said in his campaign the system is rigged. This is the rigging of the rig. This is taking the rig to a step that is almost impossible for us to return from. They take us down this road to ruin. They take us down this path to severe increase in the national debt to the tune of trillions of dollars, not even counting the debt service on it, at the cost of investments in our future, in our children, in our families, in fairness in our economy, in opportunity for America.

This is something that must be stopped, and we can start by stopping the assault on the State and local taxes deduction. Let's hold Members of Congress accountable for what they do that affects your pocketbook and your future.

We will be continuing this conversation for awhile, and we will have charts and the rest to visually demonstrate what this is.

Governance is about how you raise the money and how you invest it, and this is the dialogue that our country needs to hear very clearly for not only the policy aspects of it, but the personal consequences in their lives. This is a very bad deal for the American people, for middle class families.

Democrats want A Better Deal, better jobs, better pay, better future, and, by the way, to do this in a very bipartisan way.

Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his great leadership as the ranking member on the Budget Committee in the House, and I thank all of the members of the Budget Committee for their great work to make the budget that was proposed earlier, the Yarmuth budget, a statement of our values. That is exactly what a budget should be.

A Federal budget should be a statement of our national values, and what is important to us as a country should be reflected in the priorities that we place into that budget. The budget before us, proposed by the Republicans, is just the opposite of that. It is accompanied by a tax proposal that they put in, one of the biggest transfers of wealth to the wealthiest people in our country in our country's history. Every time they do it, they make it worse.

I let you be the judge: Is a statement of our national values to cut a trillion dollars from Medicaid, cap and take Medicaid down a bad path, in order to give tax cuts to the richest people in our country?

Is it a statement of our values to take a half trillion dollars out of Medicare to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in our country?

Our distinguished ranking member has listed some of the things that would be cut if we went down this unfortunate path posed by our colleagues on the other side.

This is a budget that steals from the middle class. It steals hundreds of billions of dollars from critical job-creating, wage- increasing investments, infrastructure, job training, and clean energy. It harms veterans, it cuts education, it abandons rural America, and it guts education.

This is really a mystery to me. When you cut education, with the stiff competition we have, this is one of the worst budget decisions that you have made. Nothing brings more money to the Treasury than investing in education: early childhood, K-12, higher education, postgraduate, and lifetime learning for our workers.

That is how you grow the economy. That is how you bring money to the Treasury, and not by cutting it in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country.

Is it a statement of values to cut education so that you have a tax cut that benefits 80 percent?

I know you don't want the public to hear this, and I can understand why. How could it be a statement of the values of the American people to cut the education of our children in order to have a tax cut where 80 percent of it benefits the top 1 percent of people in our country? It is just not right.

As they do that, the deficit hawks, who seem to be an endangered species on the Republican side of the aisle these days, are adding close to $2.4 trillion to the deficit, not counting debt service or interest on that national debt. Then they say: Oh, that is okay; we need to increase the national debt by trillions of dollars so that we can give tax cuts.

Where do the tax cuts go? $2.6 trillion goes to corporate America.

Guess what happens to the middle class. There are $470 billion in tax increases to the middle class, about a half trillion dollars in increases to the middle class, $2.5 trillion in tax cuts for corporate America. Again, it is adding so much to the deficit.

Now they say: Oh, trickle-down economics is going to pay its own way. We will get that money back.

Not so. It never happens. Nonsense. But don't take it from me. No less a figure than Bruce Bartlett, who worked for Congressman Jack Kemp, a real supporter of supply-side economics--and, as was said, supply-side turn into trickle-down, et cetera. As a proponent of supply-side economics, he said: We never said it would pay for itself. We just advocate it as an economic approach.

But anyone who says, and this is from him, that the whole supply-side dynamic scoring pays for itself--part of this argument--is all nonsense. It is not true. He went on to say that it was bull--you finish the sentence.

So, here we are at a place where we can increase the deficit, decrease job creation, hurt the middle class, benefit the top 1 percent, and add to the national debt in historic proportions that will be very hard to collect from deficit hawks--if any of you exist over there.

Instead, we have an opportunity today for a better deal for the American people--better jobs, better pay, better wages, and a better future--where we lower costs for America's working families and middle class families, and where we prepare them with the tools for the economy of the 21st century.

I thank the distinguished gentleman from Kentucky, the chair of the Bourbon Caucus, for his great leadership in bringing a better budget that is a statement of our national values, that supports American workers with responsible tax reform, calls for parity between defense and nondefense, and strengthens the ACA and protects Medicare.

Every time the Republicans come to the floor and try to stack the deck even further for their wealthy friends, we have to have this conversation. Democrats will fight these tax cuts and this unfortunate, deceptive budget that they have on the floor. I urge my colleagues to start by voting ``no'' today and to continue the conversation with the American people to fight this unfortunate path they want to take us down: the road to ruin.

I urge a ``no'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I join you in thanking God for the return of our colleague, Steve Scalise, and to have him do so in such a strong way.

You were brief, Mr. Speaker, I will be even briefer.

Thank God, our prayers are answered.

I take great pride in Steve because we are both Italian Americans, and I think that is a source of some of his strength.

I, too, want to say how proud we are of Jennifer, Harrison, and Madison, of your staff, and of our first responders--our Capitol Police--who took such good care of you.

But if it is, as you said, an attack on you is an attack on all, then we all came through this magnificently because of your strength. So it is the power of Steve Scalise.

The day we came to the floor when you weren't here, we were all Team Scalise. Today we are Team Scalise.

Thank you for being so wonderful.

God bless you.

Madam Speaker, I associate myself with the concerns expressed by Congresswoman Jackson Lee about those who have been affected by the hurricanes. They need not only our compassion but our help as soon as possible. I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for her leadership.

I also associate myself with the remarks of others who have talked about the discharge petition here. This discharge petition will not only discharge a bill, it will discharge the realization of hopes and dreams and aspirations of so many hundreds of thousands of young people in our country.

Just to put it in historic perspective, we did pass a Dream Act in 2010, in the House of Representatives. We couldn't pass it in the Senate, because it required 60 votes, but it did receive a majority of the vote in the Senate.

President Obama, as people know, issued an executive order. President

Trump has rescinded that, but he said he would sign the Dream Act if it came to his desk. So we are asking our Republican colleagues to join us in this bipartisan legislation.

Just to put it in historical perspective, the President said: I can't act. Congress must act.

But even when Congress acted, President Reagan said: You didn't go far enough.

So he instituted a Family Fairness initiative, which protected many more people than Congress did. President George Herbert Walker Bush continued that leadership and that courage, as did President Clinton; President George W. Bush, one of the best Presidents we have ever had in terms of his advocacy for newcomers to our country, realizing that they make America more American by invigorating our country with hope, aspirations, and dreams; and President Obama, of course, a great President in this regard as well.

So this is the first President we have had who has put doubt as to whether we respect the contribution of newcomers to our country.

He has said he would sign this bill. We trust his word. We just need our Republican colleagues to join in the discharge petition, and to appeal to the Speaker, with or without a discharge petition, take the initiative, take the lead, make America more American by unleashing the power and the patriotism of our DREAMers.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise to pay tribute to a cherished member of my staff, my chief of staff, Nadeam Elshami.

My office, my colleagues, indeed, the entire Democratic Caucus, has benefited from the sharp strategic insight, steady judgment, and exceptional character and integrity of Nadeam Elshami.

Born in Nashville, spent some time in Egypt, earning his college degree in Indiana, Nadeam followed the love of his life, Stacy, to Washington, D.C.

Here, 25 years ago, Nadeam found a job in the Senate mailroom. Now, he departs as a trusted senior adviser who holds one of the top positions on Capitol Hill, who holds the respect of Members on both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol, and, indeed, even down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Nadeam has been an invaluable asset in every office he has served: for Senator Barbara Boxer; for Assistant Democratic Leader Dick Durbin; proudly, in our House, for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky; and for me, in my office, where he has worked for 10 years.

We are deeply grateful for Nadeam's wise counsel, his skill as a manager, and his grace under pressure in some of the most high-stakes matters to come before the Congress and the American people. He has played a vital role in improving the lives of America's working families. He has distinguished himself with the respect that Members have for his judgment, discretion, and ability.

In conclusion, Nadeam's exceptional service entailed sacrifice, not only from him, but from his beautiful family. We are especially grateful to Nadeam for the patience, love, and support of his wife, Stacy, who is here with us today. Thank you, Stacy. I hope that all the spouses of our staff recognize that recognition for Stacy, which applies to them, as well. And his children, Jena, Noah, and Layla.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in thanking my chief of staff, a man who has served the United States Congress with honor and distinction for more than 25 years: Nadeam Elshami.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect California DREAMers like Monica, a college student who has started her own business.

Mr. Speaker, we recognize Senator Dole, a patriot whose life and career embody superior public service.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest award we can bestow. We confer this honor to men and women who grace our nation with exceptional achievements and contributions.

Senator Bob Dole is a leader of great integrity, a public servant of deep dignity and an American hero of extraordinary courage.

Before the people of Kansas brought him to Capitol Hill, Bob Dole fought for our country in the mountains of central Italy during the Second World War.

For his courage and immense sacrifice, he was awarded two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster for Valor.

Bob's bravery was not limited to the battlefield. When he came to Congress, he fought relentlessly to ensure that every person in uniform would receive the care they needed upon coming home.

It is a special source of pride that Bob Dole first came to Washington to serve in the House of Representatives.

There, as a proud Representative of western Kansas, he proved his mettle as a tenacious fighter for American families and American values.

Later, in the Senate, as Majority Leader, he continued to champion the vital causes central to our identity and our ideals as Americans.

Senator Dole was a champion for justice, battling to expand the civil rights of every American during the 1960s.

He was a champion for working families, reaching across the aisle to expand eligibility for food stamps.

He was a champion for equality, fighting for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After he left Capitol Hill, he continued the fight. He has advocated tirelessly on behalf of veterans, disabled Americans and families struggling with hunger and poverty in every part of the world.

Twenty years ago, President Clinton awarded the Senator our nation's other highest civilian honor: The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Receiving this award, he said, ``Our challenge is not to question American ideals or replace them, but to act worthy of them.''

Senator Bob Dole: for a lifetime spent defending, advancing and exemplifying our proudest American ideals, we are grateful.

This Congress thanks you. We send our warmest congratulations to your incredible wife Elizabeth--a fierce champion for our hidden heroes: our military caregivers--and to the entire Dole family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with pride today to join my beloved city in recognizing the 40th Anniversary of Reverend Dr. Amos C. Brown as the pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco and honoring his lifetime of moral leadership, political activism and spiritual guidance.

Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Reverend Brown's history of activism and his deep involvement in the civil rights movement began at an early age. He was only a teenager when he assumed leadership of his local NAACP chapter and was driven cross-country to San Francisco by activist Medgar Evers to meet the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Later, Brown attended Morehouse College where he was hand-selected by King as one of his eight students, inspiring him to seek a lifetime of service on behalf of civil rights and social justice. He was arrested together with Dr. King during a lunch counter sit-in Atlanta department store, and became one of the fearless Freedom Riders in 1961.

Brown received both a Mastery of Divinity from Crozer Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. Our city was fortunate to welcome the Pastor and his beloved wife Jane Smith Brown in 1976, when they made San Francisco their home and the Third Baptist Church their place of worship and leadership.

Brown's vision of the church as a holy place of prayer, and also a place of civic engagement and social action, transformed the Third Baptist Church into a congregation at the forefront of the fight for civil rights. His unwavering belief in future generations drove the church to establish a summer school program, an after-school academic enrichment program, ``Back on Track'', and the Charles A. Tindley Academy of Music.

Brown's influence also extended beyond his local community when the church sponsored 80 children from Tanzania to receive heart surgery in the United States, and his congregation sponsored more African refugees than any other local congregation in the nation. This global reach and visionary leadership was recognized when Brown was appointed as a delegate to the 2001 United Nations Conference on Race and Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, representing the National Board of the NAACP.

Closer to home, Brown was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Ministerial Award for outstanding leadership and contributions to the Black Church in America and he was inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the King International Chapel at Morehouse College. He has served as the president of the NAACP Branch in San Francisco, as a San Francisco Community College Trustee and as a San Francisco County Supervisor.

A passionate fighter and voice for the most vulnerable in our community, Reverend Amos Brown has served as a source of change, strength and faith for 40 years. I congratulate him, along with his wife Jane and his children Amos C. Brown Jr., David Josephus and Kizzie Marie, on this milestone celebration and extend my best wishes as he continues to lead and inspire our community.