Jane Harman: “as the only grandmother Blue Dog, I rise in support of this rule and the underlying bill. I strongly support AMT relief…”

“as the only grandmother Blue Dog, I rise in support of this rule and the underlying bill. I strongly support AMT relief for 55,000 taxpayers in my congressional district, and 23 million Americans nationwide. But there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Simply providing relief to this generation while raising taxes on future generations is the wrong way. Put another way, the $50 billion price tag for this AMT vote can either be paid for responsibly, or we can send the bill to our children and grandchildren. In my seven terms in Congress, I have always supported fiscal responsibility and have made scores of votes that are faithful to that principle. Among them was a career-risking vote in 1993 for the Clinton budget; my vote in 1994 to cut $100 billion from Federal spending; my vote in 1997 for a balanced budget; my vote against the Bush tax package which provided unnecessary relief for the top tax brackets; and now these AMT votes. Madam Speaker, I dedicate my vote today to my first grandchild, Lucy, and to her brother and cousin, who will be born early next year.”