On the recordDecember 17, 2015
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, there are pockets of Americans who might like the tax break here for corporations or the tax break there for wealthy folks who want to donate some of their IRA. But for the 320 million Americans in the country, and particularly for the 147 million Americans who file Federal tax returns, my guess is they are more concerned about their security and that of their children--their personal security, our national security, and our economic security. After San Bernardino, Colorado Springs, Charleston, and Newtown, where Americans were senselessly gunned down in our schools, at work, and in our places of worship, the American people want job one of this Congress to be security--personal, national, and economic. So why, 2 weeks after 32 Americans were terrorized and 14 of them killed in San Bernardino, would we make this massive, $600 billion tax break giveaway and charge it to the government credit card--because remember, it is not paid for--the first major legislation to come before this House for a vote? We can all agree that the FBI does important work keeping us safe, tracking down terrorists. We all agree that they need to do more. So why would we be voting for this bill, which will rob funding for everything from the FBI to food safety to college Pell grants? The cost of this bill would fund the FBI for the next 73 years-- because, remember, these tax breaks are not paid for. We have got to pay for them somehow.…
