Date: 2005-04-13
Speaker: WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman from Maryland very much for yielding and thank him so much for giving us this opportunity to talk to the American people about what is essentially a startling contrast between our vision and our view on what tax reform should entail and what the majoritys vision is. I think that is really what we should ask people to take a look at. because the perception that is out there in America is not what it should be. and really what I would like to spend some time talking about is how the majority talks about making taxes simpler. As we can see. they have plenty of rhetoric that they have thrown around over the years as far back as 1997 and even for the years before that. Yet their actions do not match the rhetoric. That is really what it boils down to. and I am a person that is all about action. That is what our caucus is about. and I think you have to walk the walk when you talk the talk. and that is not happening with this administration. It is not happening with the leadership of this body. It is critical that the American people understand the consequences of the years. and I know that they do. Every working family sitting around their kitchen table understands the consequence of the complexities and the carving up of the tax code by the Republican majority here. I mean. that is what they have continued to do. in spite of the fact that they go out in America and talk about how complex it is. Well. it is time that something gets done about it. The time for talking needs to stop. Their tax policies clearly favor some citizens over others. They pick and choose. They pick winners and loser among businesses and industries. and they do it all under the guise and cloak of tax reform. One of the most important consequences is that the Federal Government and State and local governments. they do not have adequate resources to pay for the daytoday services that our constituents need. That is a direct consequence of not having tax reform. There are real needs that are not being addressed because our local governments cannot provide the services because of the tax system as it is currently constructed. That squeeze is being felt all across this country. and particularly in the towns and cities in my district and in the districts of many of our colleagues. That is because the debt burden faced by the Federal Government is going to dramatically worsen in the future if the administrations tax cuts are made permanent. If the Bush tax cuts are made permanent. this problem is only going to get worse. The Government Accountability Office projects that interest on the national debt would nearly equal all of the Federal taxes. including income and payroll taxes that we generate in 2040. not now but the taxes that we generate in 2040. if the recent tax. cuts are made permanent. Current and proposed debt and the rising level of interest that we pay on that debt. which is soon to average about $300 billion a year. which is more than we spend on Medicaid to help make people understand what that means. we .weaken Social Security and threaten benefits for todays seniors. for disabled workers and their survivors. much of which affects women disproportionately which I want to address in a moment. The amount merely required to pay interest on the national debt ultimately will be almost twice the amount that is paid out to all Americahs inSocial Security benefits. That is unbelievable. The interest on the national debt will be more than twice what we pay out in Social Security benefits. Unlike interest on the national debt. Social Security has its own dedicated taxes. and the President fails to acknowledge that these costs crowd out resources for other priorities that affect people of all ages. people over 55 and younger people as well. in health care. in education and in homeland security. I want to take a minute and just talk about the impact on women of the Bush administrations policy decisions as it relates to tax cuts and the lack of tax reform. There are programs serving women and families that are really bearing the burden of deficit reduction. The Presidents budget.now in front of us slashes funding for countless domestic programs. The administration itself in child care calculates 300.000 additional children could lose assistance by 2009 from the continued freeze in funding. Between 2003 and 2004. 200.000 children have lost child care help. In Medicaid. the. administration would cut $7.6 billion over 5 years. and the House even more. Education and training: Investment in high school vocational education programs that can help train women and girls for higher paying. nontraditional jobs is totally eliminated. Supplemental nutrition for women. infants and children: The cut of $658 million could mean 660.000 fewer pregnant women. infants and children receiving WIC assistance in 2010. I want to boil this down for another few seconds. Millionaires average tax cut in 2004 was $123.592. which is more than five times the annual income of a typical single mother with children. whose median income is $22.637. That is what their policy translates into for regular. everyday people. More than onequarter of singleparent families. who are overwhelmingly headed by women. get nothing from the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. These tax cuts. the bottom line. and the budget simply makes the wrong choices for women. for their families and for all Americans. Mr. Speaker. I want to again thank the gentleman from Maryland so much for this opportunity for us to help the American people understand that it is Democrats that are committed both in action. deed and rhetoric. and our actions will match our words when it comes to tax reform.