Henry Waxman: “last week I gave out the first of what will be a series of Golden Jackpot Awards to the mining industry and the EPA, the…”

“last week I gave out the first of what will be a series of Golden Jackpot Awards to the mining industry and the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and administrator Christine Todd Whitman, for the incomprehensible decision to allow more arsenic in drinking water. We are going to be giving this award whenever we are confronted with decisions that exemplify amazing feats of lobbying that result in outrageous windfalls to special interests. Today we have a new winner. I am awarding this week's award to President Bush and Vice President Cheney on behalf of the entire Bush cabinet for their plan to completely repeal the estate tax. By insisting on total repeal and by passing today's Republican bill, the President and Vice President would share in as much as $50 million in benefits. Let me repeat that, they will share in $50 million in benefits. That is just for the Bush and Cheney families. This is not a bill that just helps the President and Vice President. Repealing the estate tax would provide as much as an average of $19 million for members of the Bush cabinet. Of course, Members of Congress are not being left behind, because under the Republican bill we will soon vote on the richest 50 Members of Congress getting $1 billion in benefits. That is $1 billion with a ``B.'' That is better than any pay raise I have seen proposed for Members of Congress.”