Kathy Castor: “I thank my friend for yielding and thank him for being a champion for working families across the country. Mr. Speaker…”

“I thank my friend for yielding and thank him for being a champion for working families across the country. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the rule and the GOP tax bill because it is so fundamentally unfair. It is unfair that it raises taxes on tens of millions of middle class families while giving huge tax breaks to big corporations and the superrich. It does this, also, by adding over $1.5 trillion to the national debt. The Center for a Responsible Federal Budget said this is a step backwards for fiscal responsibility, largely because it passes the tab on to our kids and our grandkids. They estimate that that will cost about $12,000 per household, just the debt portion of it--not even a mention. Here is why middle class families get hurt: Republicans eliminate the deduction for medical expenses. That is over 630,000 Floridians in my home State. They eliminate the tax deduction that helps make college more affordable by being able to deduct the interest on your student loan. They eliminate all these deductions for the middle class and give all the breaks to the superrich and big corporations. It is fundamentally unfair, and I urge a ``no'' vote on the bill.”