Gerald Weller

The Public Record

Quotes by year · 1995–2008275 total · peak 2000 (46)

★ Featured Quote

June 24, 2008

I rise in support of H.R. 6307, the Fostering Connections to Success Act. This legislation, H.R. 6307, is an example of what we can accomplish when we work together.…

— Gerald Weller

Most widely reported

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Do Americans feel that it is fair that our Tax Code imposes a higher tax on married working couples? Do Americans feel it is fair that we tax married couples more than those who live together, with two incomes, outside a marriage? Do Americans feel that it is fair that 21 million average, middle-class married couples pay an average of almost $1,400 more in taxes than a working couple with identical dual incomes living outside of marriage? I do not believe so. I believe that the folks back home, those who pay the bills, pay their taxes on time and live by the rules, also believe it is unfair. The marriage tax should be eliminated. The Marriage Tax Elimination Act, which now enjoys the cosponsorship of 193 Members of this House, both Democrats and Republicans, will eliminate the marriage penalty. My colleagues, I ask for bipartisan support next year and we make it a bipartisan priority to eliminate the marriage tax.5 sources1997govinfo.gov
As I look back over the last 2 years, I am so proud of the accomplishments of this Congress, proud of what we have achieved in just the last few short years, accomplishments that include balancing the budget for the first time in 28 years, cutting taxes for the middle class for the first time in 16 years, saving medicare and giving medicare another 10 years of a strong, good life; and also reforming welfare by emphasizing work and family and responsibility for the first time in over a generation. Now, this House of Representatives, even though we have accomplished quite a bit, accomplishments we are proud of, balancing the budget, cutting taxes for the middle class, reforming welfare and saving medicare, we face some big challenges ahead. Our tax burden is still too high. In fact, for the average American family the tax burden today totals almost 40 percent, if we add State and local as well as Federal taxes. We need to make sure that taxes are lower for working middle class families. We need to help our local schools and ensure that the dollars that we provided, because we have increased funding by 10 percent this last year at the Federal level for our local schools, we need to ensure those dollars actually reach the classroom. We need to increase and strengthen our Nation's defense. I think it is just wrong that 11,000 American military men and women today subsist on food stamps in order to make ends meet. That is just wrong.3 sources1999govinfo.gov
I represent probably the most diverse district in the State of Illinois. I represent part of the city of Chicago and the south suburbs, industrial communities like Joliet, and Rockdale and La Salle, Peru, and many bedroom communities and farm towns, too. As I travel throughout my district, I look for things that are always in common, even though my district is so very diverse, and one thing that I have always noticed is that there is hardly a day that goes by that a young working mother or working father does not come up to tell me how difficult their life is right now and how concerned and fearful they are for their future. They ask questions about why so many families are struggling to keep their heads above water. Why is it that Americans are working harder and working longer yet they have less to show for it? Why is it that more people have to hold two jobs just to make ends meet? The answer can be summarized in three words, the tax trap. It is simple to explain. The harder you work, the more taxes you have to pay. The more taxes you have to pay, the longer and harder you have to work. And you end up working harder and longer and Washington ends up with more, but you end up with less. Today, almost half of what you earn goes to Washington and the government in one form or another. Half. And the tax trap is particularly difficult on working women who are trying to balance a career and family obligations just to pay all the additional taxes.3 sources1996govinfo.gov
I rise today to highlight what is arguably the most unfair provision in the U.S. Tax code: the marriage tax penalty. I want to thank you for your long term interest in bringing parity to the tax burden imposed on working married couples compared to a couple living together outside of marriage. In January, President Clinton gave his State of the Union Address outlining many of the things he wants to do with the budget surplus. A surplus provided by the bipartisan budget agreement which: cut waste, put America's fiscal house in order, and held Washington's feet to the fire to balance the budget. While President Clinton paraded a long list of new spending totaling at least $46-$48 billion in new programs--we believe that a top priority should be returning the budget surplus to America's families as additional middle-class tax relief. This Congress has given more tax relief to the middle class and working poor than any Congress of the last half century. I think the issue of the marriage penalty can best be framed by asking these questions: Do Americans feel its fair that our tax code imposes a higher tax penalty on marriage? Do Americans feel its fair that the average married working couple pays almost $1,400 more in taxes than a couple with almost identical income living together outside of marriage? Is it right that our tax code provides an incentive to get divorced?3 sources1998govinfo.gov
I rise in support of the U.S.- Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, and I urge the Speaker of the House to bring this important measure before the House for an up-or-down vote, and submit for the Record two articles, one a column recently published in the New York Times by Edward Schumacher-Matos, a former foreign correspondent for the Times and a visiting professor of Latin American studies at Harvard, as well as an editorial in this week's Washington Post in support of the trade agreement. Killing a Trade Pact (By Edward Schumacher-Matos) President Bush has been urging Congress to approve a pending trade agreement with Colombia, an ally that recently almost went to war with Venezuela and Hugo Chavez. Even though the agreement includes the labor and environmental conditions that Congress wanted, many Democrats, including Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, now say that Colombia must first punish whomever has been assassinating the members of the nation's trade unions before the agreement can pass. An examination of the Democrats' claims, however, finds that their faith in the assertions of human-rights groups is more righteous than right. Union members have been assassinated, but the reported number is highly exaggerated. Even one murder for union organizing is atrocious, but isolated killings do not justify holding up the trade agreement. All sides agree that trade-union murders in Colombia, like all violence, have declined drastically in recent years.2 sources2008govinfo.gov
over the last several years many of us have asked a very fundamental question, and that is, is it right, is it fair that under our Tax Code if individuals get married they pay higher taxes than if they stay single? Is it right, is it fair that under our Tax Code that 28 million married working couples pay on average $1,400 more in higher taxes just because they are married? Well, this House, under the leadership of the Speaker, is going to do something about that. Today, the House Committee on Ways and Means is going to have committee action on H.R. 6, legislation which will wipe out the marriage tax penalty for the vast majority of those who suffer it, providing marriage tax relief for 28 million married working couples; couples such as Shad and Michelle Hallihan, two public school teachers from Joliet, Illinois, who suffer the marriage tax penalty just because they are married. Now, their marriage tax penalty is about $1,000, just below average. But Michelle Hallihan told me, she said, ``Tell your friends in Washington that the marriage tax penalty is real money for real people.'' That thousand dollar marriage tax penalty that Shad and Michelle suffer, they just had a baby, and she pointed out that that $1,000 would purchase for her and her husband and her child 3,000 diapers. Let us eliminate the marriage tax penalty. I am pleased a dozen Democrats have finally joined with us. We are going to make a bipartisan effort and wipe out the marriage tax penalty.2 sources2000govinfo.gov

Jun 18, 2008

I stand to once again raise my concern and, frankly, disappointment by the decision of the majority party in this House to turn its back on America's best friend in Latin America. Ladies and gentlemen, the oldest democracy in South America…

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Jun 12, 2008

Well, I would first point out to my friend from Michigan that I represent the State of Illinois. And under the legislation which we offered in committee, my State of Illinois would receive extended unemployment benefits. I would also state…

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Jun 12, 2008

several speakers have suggested that there is plenty of funds in Federal unemployment accounts to support these benefits. Today, those trust funds include $35 billion, and the Congressional Budget Office suggests this legislation will…

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Jun 12, 2008

as I had noted earlier, this Congress, the Democrat majority in the House today, has the lowest level of popularity, lowest level approval in recorded history, 16 percent. Why? Because of actions like today. This legislation that is before…

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Jun 12, 2008

Mr. Speaker, as Yogi Berra once said, this is like deja vu all over again. Yesterday after an 8-week delay, the House considered and failed to pass the legislation once again before us today. I continue to support providing extended…

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Jun 12, 2008

this motion to recommit supports extension of unemployment benefits for long-term unemployed, those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. And this motion to recommit makes three simple changes to the legislation before us. It…

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Jun 12, 2008

You've been waiting 8 weeks because of election-year politics. This legislation could have been brought to the floor immediately, we could have had a bipartisan bill that had become law, but no. Our friends in the majority played…

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Jun 12, 2008

the legislation before us, as was so eloquently described by the Republican leader of the House, makes some radical changes. For 27 years, Republicans and Democrats have had in place a work rule requirement for federally funded…

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Jun 12, 2008

I want to state that I share the Speaker's admiration for Mr. Rangel and Mr. McDermott. I consider Mr. Rangel very intelligent, and I enjoy working with Mr. McDermott as well, but I do disagree with the distinguished Speaker on a point…

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Jun 11, 2008

I want to echo the majority leader's comments when I agree that this issue, the issue of extending unemployment benefits, should not be a Republican or Democrat issue. And we, of course, on our side of the aisle, want to extend…

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Jun 11, 2008

it's interesting as we debate this legislation that some have criticized targeted help for those who we would like to provide extended unemployment benefits for, and of course, the bill before us actually targets the final 13 weeks of a…

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Jun 11, 2008

I would note that most House Republicans and the administration have stated that we all support an extension of unemployment benefits. In fact, the letter we just placed in the Record says the administration would sign into law a 13-week…

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Jun 11, 2008

Mr. Speaker, I stand here in support of extending unemployment benefits, and I have sponsored legislation to accomplish that goal. All Republican members of the Ways and Means Committee supported extending benefits when our committee…

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Jun 11, 2008

I would note the previous speaker referred to 6 percent as being ruthless. That's actually the formula in the majority Democrats' bill. So it was interesting that he criticized his own bill. I would also note to my good friend from…

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May 20, 2008

I want to rise in support of H.R. 6081, the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008. I particularly want to point out that this product that is before us today is bipartisan. It is clear that both Republicans and Democrats…

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May 20, 2008

If you are in Latin America and you ask anyone in Latin America which country is America's most reliable ally, they likely would say the Republic of Colombia. If you ask anyone in Latin America which political leader in Latin America is…

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May 15, 2008

I rise to oppose this rule. I also rise to oppose the way that the House majority, the Democratic majority, is managing this legislation, bringing forward a fiscal year irresponsible supplemental bill. I would note, as I recall, on January…

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May 6, 2008

I rise today to ask this House, why do we continue to punish Illinois and U.S. manufacturers and farmers? In the 531 days since the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement was signed, U.S. products exported to Colombia have suffered over…

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Apr 15, 2008

But I would just like to comment on one point that you made. You said Illinois is headquarters to Caterpillar, and people think of the yellow construction equipment. There is more to it than you think, and that's why this trade agreement…

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Apr 15, 2008

There would be. And their growth has come as a result of export. But the point that really needs to be made is there is tremendous economic growth going on in the Andean region, which Colombia is leading, and a lot of that is in the energy…

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Apr 15, 2008

And of course these tariffs would be eliminated immediately upon implementation of the U.S-Colombia Trade Agreement. I yield back the time, but it is so important to point out, Illinois is a big winner, manufacturers as well as farmers.

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Apr 2, 2008

I rise in support of the U.S.- Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, and I urge the Speaker of the House to bring this important measure before the House for an up-or-down vote, and submit for the Record two articles, one a column recently…

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Apr 2, 2008

I would also like to share a couple other examples of the success of this initiative and how this funding is helping regular people and making a difference in Latin America. Bolivia, a large nation the size of Texas with 9 million people…

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Apr 2, 2008

I rise to urge the Speaker of this House to bring forward for a vote in this House the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. We know Colombia not only has the most long-standing democracy in all of Latin America, but is our most trusted…

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