Steven Holt: “I rise to offer a few comments on the House's consideration of H. Con. Res. 312. Today our nation is at war, both here…”

“I rise to offer a few comments on the House's consideration of H. Con. Res. 312. Today our nation is at war, both here and abroad. Congress is considering a budget plan that is likely to spend money out of the Social Security Trust Fund. Our economy is trying to find its footing in the wake of the ongoing recession. And many central New Jerseyans have questions about the security of their 401K retirement plans in the wake of the Enron bankruptcy. Looking at that list of issues, I imagine most Americans feel Congress has plenty of work to do. But instead of coming together in a bipartisan way to deal with these important matters, the House is wasting time today debating a symbolic and politically slanted resolution that has one and only one purpose: To try to make it seem like some Members oppose tax cuts so that it can be used against them in political campaigns. That this is a purely political exercise is underscored by the fact that the Congressional Leadership rejected all attempts to modify this resolution to include the protection of Social Security. I support tax cuts. My record on that is clear. I have consistently voted--sometimes even against my own party--to support responsible tax cuts for families, be it in the estate tax, the marriage penalty tax, or other tax cuts. Despite that, I will vote on this resolution. It is the type of silly political ``gotcha'' game that Americans hate about Washington.”