On the recordDecember 8, 2011
I would like to make one additional brief statement. I see the Senator from Ohio in the Chamber. The holiday season is upon us, and a lot of us are thinking about our families, and we are thinking about being with them as quickly as we can. It is a time of year that has a special significance for so many of us. But what was made clear by President Obama yesterday--and my colleagues should take note--we are not going home for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any holiday season until we have done our job for the people of this country. Millions of people in Illinois and across America are counting on Congress to extend the payroll tax cut. What does it mean in my State? With an average income of $50,000 a year, it is worth more than $1,000 a year to those families. It is worth about $125 to $150 a month to have a payroll tax cut--money that working families, struggling from paycheck to paycheck, desperately need to fill the gas tank, to pay the utility bills, to provide clothing for their kids, to make sure they can stay in their home. These are the basics. No Member of Congress is going to be allowed to go home and ignore the imposition of such a new payroll tax on America.…





