Xavier Becerra: “Mr. Speaker, today Americans believe that our Nation's leaders have forgotten the middle class. They believe that Big…”

“Mr. Speaker, today Americans believe that our Nation's leaders have forgotten the middle class. They believe that Big Business gets whatever it wants any time it wants it in Washington, DC, and they feel that way because what they see is that the top Americans in income have seen their incomes skyrocket. Meanwhile, most Americans have seen their wages stagnate for the last 5 years. Americans have watched as 3 million manufacturing jobs have left this country, and today, outsourcing to China and India threaten millions more. We see pensions and health insurance becoming too expensive for too many Americans to afford. We have seen the costs double for those pensions and that health insurance over the last 5 years, and we have seen gasoline prices triple. What we need is an economy that works for everyone and makes America stronger. So what we propose in this bill is to show the American people that we do hear them. This bill is responsive. It provides tax relief to 23 million middle-class families, and it helps 12 million children by expanding the child tax credit. And this bill is responsible because, rather than just borrow the money to provide the tax relief, we pay for it up front. And the Speaker already said it. We're giving it to tens of millions of people, the tax relief, and only asking thousands to pay for that. This is responsible because we will not add to the already big $9 trillion debt.”