Neil Abercrombie: “last week a bill passed on tax deductions for health benefits for the self-employed. Unfortunately we had a containment…”

“last week a bill passed on tax deductions for health benefits for the self-employed. Unfortunately we had a containment; contained within that bill is an exemption to allow billionaires to escape paying their taxes. Now, I understand they are going to give up their citizenship in order to not pay their taxes. My understanding is the present conference report is being held in the Senate over that language. I certainly hope that is the case. In the meantime, having succeeded at that, we now find, I understand, that there is a bill circulating in this House to give one of these billionaires who renounced his American citizenship, who owns a foreign cruise ship, a tax exemption, tax deduction, for business meals and entertainment, and that is contained in the bill. I can assure you, if the gentleman from Texas [Mr. Armey] says, as he has, that he will fight the minimum wage with every fiber in his body, I can assure this House that I will fight this billionaire who has renounced his American citizenship to have a foreign-flag, foreign-crewed, foreign-owned cruise ship that takes money from Americans and get a tax break on top of it. You can bet I am going to fight that with every fiber in my body.”