IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 23 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the tax giveaway since 2001 
to the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans should be repealed and those 
monies instead invested in vital programs to relieve the growing burden 
on the working poor and to alleviate poverty in America. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 15, 2009 
Ms. LEE of California submitted the following concurrent resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the tax giveaway 
since 2001 to the wealthiest 5 percent of Americans 
should be repealed and those monies instead invested 
in vital programs to relieve the growing burden on the 
working poor and to alleviate poverty in America. 
Whereas the number of persons living in poverty has risen al-
most every year and never decreased by a statistically 
significant amount since 2001, when massive tax breaks 
for the wealthy began; 
Whereas there were 37,300,000 people living in poverty in 
2007, an increase of 5,700,000 during the administration 
of President George W. Bush; 
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•HCON 23 IH 
Whereas in 2007 13,300,000 children under the age of 18 
lived in poverty; 
Whereas in 2007 15,600,000 persons lived in extreme pov-
erty, defined as people with incomes lower than one-half 
of the established Federal poverty guideline; 
Whereas 45,700,000 Americans were living without health in-
surance in 2007; 
Whereas for the years 2001 to 2007, the Congressional 
Budget Office finds that the Federal budget went from 
a surplus of $128,000,000,000 in 2001, into a deficit of 
$158,000,000,000 in 2002, peaking at a record 
$413,000,000,000 in 2004, for a total loss of Federal 
revenue of $1,263,000,000,000 from 2002 to 2007; 
Whereas $1,263,000,000,000 could have provided Head Start 
enrollment costs for an average of 34,664,470 students 
annually for the years 2002 through 2007; 
Whereas $1,263,000,000,000 could have provided health in-
surance coverage for an average of 74,469,339 uninsured 
Americans annually for the years 2002 through 2007; 
Whereas $1,263,000,000,000 could have provided college tui-
tion for an average of 39,059,962 university students an-
nually for the years 2002 through 2007; 
Whereas $1,263,000,000,000 could have provided an average 
of 3,649,646 port inspectors annually for the years 2002 
through 2007; and 
Whereas $1,263,000,000,000 could have provided 9,824,817 
new low income housing units: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
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•HCON 23 IH 
(1) the portion of all tax cuts enacted in or 
after 2001 which benefits the wealthiest top 5 per-
cent of Americans and burdens the Nation’s impov-
erished and working poor with rising debt and fewer 
services should be repealed, and 
(2) the revenues from such repeal be used to re-
lieve such burdens and alleviate poverty in America. 
Æ 
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