Date: 2012-11-30
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Its a delight just to be with you. not a delight on this discussion that were having. I want to thank the gentlelady from Wisconsin for her leadership and membership on the Budget Committee. and certainly the gentleman for Virginia on his leadership on the Budget Committee. and delighted to be a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and have a reasoned discussion. And just to pick up from where Mr. SCOTT was saying and just reinforce it. Medicare is solvent. Let me just turn. Medicare is solvent. Medicare is solvent. Medicare is solvent and it is strong. It is solvent to 2024. Social Security. which is not even an issue. has nothing to do with this deficit. It is a trust fund. but more importantly. it is solvent until 2037. Let me repeat myself that Medicare is solvent. Social Security is solvent until 2037. That is really a lifetime. The gentleman has made a very good point that I would like to pursue in discussing fiscal deadlines. I have washed my mouth out with soap and will no longer yield to terminology that has been used that is falsifying where we are. Let me first go over. and Im going to mix some apples and oranges a little bit of what the President has offered us. I know weve heard it. but let me reinforce the fact. And my numbers are going to be not precise. but Im going to say that 1.2. 1.1. over 1 trillion in tax cuts. And then a war dividend. a peace dividend of about 1 trillionI want to say war. but war savings. I have signed on to expedite the return of our heroes from Afghanistan. move into the diplomatic process. bring our soldiers home. And $50 billion in infrastructure that creates jobs. For those of you who find sinkholes for your cars. overcrowded on various freeways and highways. this is to aid in doing what we have not done over many decades. $50 billion. And then. of course. the mentioned Medicare. And Mr. SCOTT has indicated that is the Presidents attempt to be the reasonable man. even though on November 6. 2012. America spoke soundly and loudly that the idea of protecting the safety net of Medicare. Medicaid. and Social Security is vital. I add to that unemployment insurance. In terms of those who have been looking for jobs. that is crucial. We have a lot of young people who have started out with a job but then may not have had it. Please know that unemployment insurance is thatits insurance. not a handout. Its a hand up. Do you realize that all of this would be wiped out with the proposal that our friends insist on keeping. when economists will tell you several things. First of all. there is no documentation that in fact if you keep the cuts. youll create jobs. There just isnt any basis for that. First of all. we take care of 97 percent of small businesses with income under $250.000. Go up and down the streets of America on Small Business Day and ask these small businesses what their income is. not what they take in and pay employees. et cetera. They will not pay any taxes on income of $250.000. And then. if you are hardworking. an $80.000 salaried person. two workers in the family. $40.000 and $40.000. thats $80.000. If you make $250.000. If you make $15 billion in salary or in income. you will get a tax cut of $250.000. Is that not the reasonable man and woman standard? Is that not reasonable? Let me tell you why thats reasonable. Because as I said. most economists will tell you that. first of all. cutting spending is not the answer in a recession as relates to the deficit. And so were not insensitive to the deficit. We want to have a reasoned response to the deficit. The crisis is to ensure that middle America and lowincome Americans and young people with their startoff jobs making a certain amount of money do not have an enormous tax increase as they go into 2013. Be very sure now. this whole thing about going downhill doesnt exist. because its something of a slide. All of these things dont happen right at 2013. We have the time to be reasonable to deal with the tax cuts to save people from having increases. meaning those earning $250.000 and below. And for the blessed and welltodo. let me just say this is not any punitive measure in suggesting that we dont have the respect for peoples wealth and the welltodo. What were saying is where theres mutual benefit. theres a mutual burden. And I havent heard a cry out from anybody to say that they would not welcome that balance. So then we have the opportunity. even though the Presidents put on the table. as the gentleman from Virginia said. $480 billion. This whole boogie man about entitlement reform is such a straw man. Its just something to throw out to the American people. The people that are on Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security are entitled neerdowells. That is not true. The people who get Medicare and Medicaid. Social Security. even unemployment insurance. are people who have worked. They have worked. They have earned this. Now. there are many ways that we can look at these elements going forward. But the idea that we would throw this on the altar as a sacrifice and cloud peoples minds and tell them that they are in fact going to be the life or the answer of whether or not our good friends join us on the other side of the aisle and do this reasonable act of cutting the taxes of 100 percent of Americans and eliminating the Bush tax cuts for the 1 and 2 percent. Let me just tell you. for those who think that they dont mind the cliff. Im not sure whos been saying that. And I respect them for it. I said I wasnt going to say that. But youre talking about increasing taxes. Youre talking about causing the loss of jobs. increasing taxes about $3.000 on the average family. Youre talking about increasing unemployment from 7.9 percent to about 9.1 percent. This is what were playing with. But let me just give you something else. The tax cuts that we have been paying for already over a 10year period. the extension would cost $2.4 trillion. And if anybody is serious about cutting the deficit. how nonsensical and what sense does that make to continue these cuts? If they could document for me how these create jobs. then maybe we would be able to respond to it. Does anybody realize and recognize that Hurricane Sandy came through and that one of the mayors of one of the largest cities was just here this week asking for an enormous infusion of dollars. of which we are merciful and recognize the role of the Federal Government? Why are we stalling on the simple process of eliminating the Bush tax cuts of 2 percent of the individuals who have been particularly silent because they recognize benefit and burden? And for our corporationsand I have the greatest respect for capitalismpresently flush with cash. let me tell you what the instability is. The corporations. the businesses are saying. Tell us what the deal is. then well plan. Well know what to do. and so we will be able to stabilize. I hope theyll invest the money they already have out into the market because theres still incentives for creating jobs. Maybe if we pass the American Jobs Act. wed be able to do that. Let me just finish on this point to my dear friend. I want to remind everybody that tomorrow is World AIDS Day. and I want to remind people that over its lifetime and up to the end of 2005. 38.6 million people worldwide were living with AIDS and more than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981. And so a lot of people say. Oh. thats behind us. What is she talking about. HIV/AIDS? Well. I know when I go into the Thomas Street Clinic in Houston. Texas. that is not the case. And I congratulate them for what they have done. But there are approximately 1 million. 1.2 million positive individuals that live in the United States and 56.000 new infections every year. Why am I saying that? Because when we think of discretionary funding. its a nebulous term. What does it mean?