I will vote for this tax package that is before us tonight. While there is absolutely no reason to justify or defend the extension of the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans, and the unconscionable tax treatment of wealthy estates--both of which were insisted upon by the Republicans--those egregious giveaways to those who need or deserve it least are, in fact, more than balanced by generous support for tens of millions of households across the country. I will vote for the Pomeroy amendment to restore the estate tax to sensible levels. There is no justification for massive estate tax relief for the Nation's 6,600 wealthiest families, at a cost of $25 billion to America's taxpayers. Despite continuing the Bush tax cuts for those earning over $250,000 per year, and despite the estate tax provisions, this initiative, forged by President Obama, does a lot of good. We are extending unemployment insurance for 13 more months. It is desperately needed by those who simply cannot find jobs after being out of work for months. We are providing continued income tax rate relief for two years for the middle class. The payroll tax holiday is an enormously progressive reform at a time when it is most needed to boost take home pay. The extension of the child tax credit and the tuition tax credit in particular will greatly assist income security for American families. The green energy tax provisions will help create jobs and promote clean energy technology.…
Share & report
More from Henry Waxman
I know that the Ambassador from Hungary and other countries that are looking at the possible aggression of the Russians are concerned about not having to rely on Russia alone for their natural gas supplies, and they are desperate. And we…
At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the State of Utah (Mr. Matheson). {time} 1530
Today, we are voting once again to grant special treatment to TransCanada's Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. This is the third time this Congress and the eighth time since Republicans took control of the House. Instead of helping families…
Climate change is the biggest energy challenge we face, so before approving a multibillion-dollar energy infrastructure project that will last for decades, we need to evaluate its climate impacts. That is the standard the President rightly…





