Andrea Joy Campbell: “today I offer an important piece of legislation. The bill I offer today, called the American Family Tax Relief Act of…”

“today I offer an important piece of legislation. The bill I offer today, called the American Family Tax Relief Act of 1999, is a modest, but important tax relief package. This bill is important for both substantive and symbolic reasons. Substantively, this bill provides all Americans with needed tax relief. If the need for tax relief isn't yet apparent to everyone, tomorrow will remind all Americans of the need when they submit tax returns which reflect an ever larger percentage of their income going to the federal government. This bill is also important as a symbol to the American public that Congress remains committed to the principle of a smaller federal government and lower taxes. We should not use the unusually good economic times we enjoy as an excuse to delay providing tax relief to hard-working American families. No, we should instead take this wonderful opportunity to recommit ourselves to fiscal discipline and responsibility. We are already taking important steps in this regard by locking up the social security trust fund to ensure its solvency. We are also devoting a significant portion of the surplus to retiring publicly held debt, which will reduce the drain on federal spending for interest on this debt. The next step is to provide tax relief. This is a platform many of us have stood upon, and is therefore a pledge we must honor. If we can't provide tax cuts in good times, think how difficult it would be in bad times.”